Kea akua lapu
by Cokie316
Summary: Can Steve keep his demons at bay in the midst of a trying case?
1. Chapter 1

_**Kea akua lapu**_

_**By Cokie**_

_**Aloha! It feels like it has been a while since I've been here to play, but that doesn't mean I haven't been trying to write. "Trying" is the operative word. Sometimes the stories flow and other times I feel like I fight for each and every word. **_

_**As for the technicalities… I do not own any portion of the Hawaii Five-0 franchise and I graciously appreciate those that do who allow me to borrow and 'gently' use them from time to time. (Steve may think I do not know the meaning of the word 'gently'. **__** )**_

_**A huge thank you goes to Sam who so very patiently reads and re-reads what I write and has the ability to change my words so that they sound so much better! Without her help, encouragement, snarkiness and general nonsense, I would not be doing this (nor would I want to!) Please note that all mistakes are mine… and I generally find the first mistake about 30 seconds after I post a chapter. It is my firm belief that they hide in the margins until I hit the "send" button and then they all jump out, giggling. **_

_**This follows the premise of my story, "Loa Pa'akiki ala hele" which took place after the events of 4.21. Catherine is still in Afghanistan. Can Steve keep the demons at bay? **_

_**Please see further notes at the end of this chapter.**_

_**~~~H50~~~**_

_**Chapter 1**_

Three minutes.

Three minutes is all it took to reach the climax of three weeks' worth of intense investigation, research and surveillance.

Drugs of the worst kind had been funneling into the streets of Honolulu and other cities on the islands for the last few months. The drugs had been traced from Columbia's capital, Bogota, but the person responsible for the transport had remained a mystery. Five-0 had been working nearly around the clock for the past three weeks trying to find the perps and gain enough solid Intel for a bust.

And thankfully, tonight, all their hard work had paid off, culminating in a brief gunfight between the good guys and the bad guys.

Bad guys never stood a chance. No matter how smart and covert they thought they had been.

Steve came around the side of the hanger shoving in front of him the one person who thought he could run. There's always one who thinks he can escape.

His mad dash out of the hanger's double doors had been slowed by a well-placed bullet in his thigh. He was limping on his gimpy leg with his hands cuffed behind his back and Steve's hand fisted into the collar of his shirt. His nose was bloody and he was spouting what could only be obscenities in a combination of Spanish mixed with a variety of other dialects.

Steve was only catching every third or fourth word, but so far the guy had questioned his parentage while also condemning him and pretty much anyone he had ever been in contact with.

"Here you go, Danno," Steve pushed his prisoner forward. "This one thought he was going to get away."

Danny grabbed the man's arm and prodded him toward the waiting vehicles. "Knowing you as I do, you probably paid him to run just so you could go after him," Danny said over his shoulder.

Steve only grinned in response, turning to greet Chin. "What've we got?"

"Got 'em all," the lieutenant replied. "No ID on any of them. But we have the goods and the cash, so we're solid."

"Good," Steve replied, handing over the runner's gun, dropping it into the plastic bag Grover held out to him. He then turned and trotted toward the EMS that had arrived to transport his prisoner.

"Hey, you, what's your name?"

The wounded man looked up from the gurney he was being cuffed to and grinned. "Wouldn't you like to know?" he taunted. "You don't know me, but I know you. Can't believe you're saying there's something that Commander Steve McGarrett of the Five-0 does not know."

"I don't know who you are… yet," Steve emphasized. "But don't worry, I will. So why not go ahead and tell me your name?"

"My people call me 'El Fantasma Blanco'," he replied. "Figure it out, man."

Steve felt someone touch his arm and he turned to find Grover staring at his side.

"Have you been shot?"

"Huh?" Steve asked and looked down, surprised to see blood on his shirt. "Uh, no? At least I don't think so." He felt on his side and winced when his fingers came away bloody.

Danny overheard what was said and left his conversation with Duke, turning toward his partner. "Let me see that," he ordered. He took one look at the blood on Steve's side and opened the Velcro on Steve's vest finding that the bottom of Steve's gray tee shirt was bright red. Danny turned to the EMT working on their prisoner. "Looks like you've got another patient right here."

Steve pulled off his vest and held up his shirt. "It's OK," he assured them. "Just a crease."

Grover pointed at Steve's side when the tech looked at them. "Yeah, and it's a crease that's gonna get checked out right now," he said in a no-nonsense voice.

"Lou, I like your style," Danny told him, not able to hold in his smirk when Steve glared at him.

"Look, it's just a scratch," Steve argued with a second EMT as he was being led away.

"Yes, Sir, I'm sure it is," the young woman replied. "But let's just make sure, OK?"

"Hey, McGarrett?"

Steve turned around when he heard their prisoner's voice call him. "Gonna tell me your name?"

"Nah," the man said with a grin. "Just wanted to say it was nice meeting you. Have a nice life."

"Shut up," Danny said. "You gonna transport this low-life to the hospital? Duke, have a car follow the bus. I want a guard on 'im 24/7. And he stays cuffed. No visitors until we figure out who he is."

"Got it," the sergeant acknowledged.

"Hold on," Kono told the technicians before they loaded their patient for transport. "I want his fingerprints."

"Honey," the prisoner spoke. "You ain't gonna find me or my prints anywhere."

"Yeah? Well, give me time. We'll see about that."

Danny walked to where Steve was seated on the back of the second EMS vehicle. "So, what's the verdict, Shannon? Is he going to live?"

"My expert medical opinion is that he'll live to fight another day," she told them with a grin. "Although, Commander, I do wish you would have it checked out at the hospital." She taped a thick stack of gauze pads to Steve's side. "While it's a shallow wound, it took a groove out of your flesh. It's going to be sore while it heals."

"It's fine, thanks," Steve assured her and pulled his shirt down over the bandage, keeping the wince to himself. "Like I said, just a scratch."

"Seems like I recall the last 'scratch' you had, you whined like a baby when I cleaned it up," Lou reminded him.

"Yeah? That's because you used cayenne pepper and oven cleaner on it."

"Whatever works," the captain grinned.

"We ready to get out of here?" Steve asked, pushing up from where he sat. "Thanks, Shannon."

"If you have problems, promise me you'll see a doctor. And take some OTC meds for the pain. I'm sure you'll need them later," the EMT said with a warm smile, knowing the commander wouldn't willingly take anything stronger.

"Of course I will," Steve assured her.

"Of course he will," Danny mumbled beneath his breath while reaching for Steve's vest. "Hey, look at this," he said, holding up the vest and pointing to the bullet lodged along the lower edge in the back. "Vest stopped the bullet. Too bad it wasn't long enough to stop it _before_ it ripped you open. Maybe you should start shopping in the "big and tall" store, Babe."

"I'll keep that in mind." Steve replied with a quick grin. He reached for his vest but was intercepted by Grover.

The captain nodded to the forensic van that had just pulled on site. "I'll get it logged in for evidence and turn it over to those guys."

Steve nodded his thanks and looked at the scene before him. "Let's escort our prisoners to holding and let them stew while we figure out who we have. And we can see who will break first."

"Gonna be a long night," Chin said while they headed toward the cars. "But the good news is that all the money and drugs have been confiscated. We have the owner of the airstrip and three people who work here, we have the group from Columbia and then we have a group of our local boys. This will be quite a party."

"Then let's get started," Danny said. "Maybe we can get home sometime before Saturday morning."

**~~~H50~~~**

The White Ghost had been correct when he said they wouldn't find his prints. Chin was frustrated from checking every database compiled by mankind. The Columbian truly was a ghost. Facial recognition also got them nowhere. Columbia wasn't being very forthcoming with any information on the case which meant that Chin and Kono were doing the research on their own.

Steve, Danny and Grover were having somewhat better luck with the Americans who had been picked up. From the records they found in the plane, the pilot apparently flew the drugs from South America and passed them off to the local gang members for distribution. On this trip, the Columbian contingent of sellers made the trip with the drugs… which was a lucky break for Five-0. Although they still hadn't ID'd them.

The manager of the airplane hangar had been cleared, but his mechanic and one of the pilots had been booked for drug distribution and trafficking.

Unfortunately, they either didn't know or refused to say who they were purchasing the drugs from. Which is why Grover had escorted the mechanic into the Blue Room for a little chat with Steve.

His rap sheet was impressive. It listed Hector's age as 26; with all the charges in his file, Hector had been a very busy boy in his 26 years. He was muscled and nicely tanned and the tips of his black hair were highlighted to perfection. The gold chain around his neck under the dingy mechanic's uniform matched the grill on his front teeth. Hector shuffled into the room with Grover's beefy hand around his arm.

Steve leaned against the wall, arms crossed, waiting for the sullen prisoner to be handcuffed to the chair.

"I'm not telling you nothin'," Hector stated, raising his eyes to stare at Steve.

Steve nodded, wanting nothing more than to wipe the smirk off Hector's face. "OK," he calmly agreed. "You don't have to talk." Steve grinned for effect. "But you might want to. You see, your pilot friend just left that chair and now he's up in our office with my partner writing up his statement." He shook his head for emphasis. "And I've got to tell you, Hector, it doesn't look too good for you, buddy. Larry stated you hired him to transport the drugs up from Columbia and it is your cash flow that pays this White Ghost character." He pushed away from the wall and circled his prisoner. "And when we add in attempted murder to the drug charges, you'll be lucky to even get one hour a day in the sunshine to work on that tan."

Hector whipped his head around to try to see Steve's location, but twisted around the opposite way when Steve circled once again. "Hey! I don't know nothin' about any attempted murder. You ain't pinning anything on me. I didn't shoot no one."

Steve stopped up close and personal, right in front of Hector and lifted his bloody shirt, making Hector look at his bandaged side. "This says otherwise. And as long as I get a statement from Larry saying you are the mastermind of this ring, I don't care if you pulled the trigger or not. You're going down right along with your Ghost friend."

"He's not my friend!" Hector yelled, his snarky demeanor escaping him. "Larry got me in all this, not the other way around. And I never met that Columbian dude until he showed up for this last trip."

"Really?" Steve leaned back against the wall and placed his hand over the gauze on his side, trying to hide the wince as he did so. "That's not the story I heard, so maybe you better start at the beginning."

"I can't, man. He'll kill me."

Steve shrugged and looked at Grover. "That's it, Lou. I'm done, let's get him out of here."

"Hey, wait. You can't pin this on me."

"If you won't talk, you're admitting your own guilt. Nothing I can do about that," Steve told him. "Now, if by chance you wanted to share with us what you know, maybe we can work something out."

"Steve, don't waste your time," Grover told him. "We got him dead to rights. Let's sign off on this case and be done with it."

"No, wait. I'll tell you what I know," their suddenly not so smug prisoner shouted. "But really, it isn't much. Only that this ghost guy thinks he's real important. And before he got here, he kept asking what we knew about you and your team," he said, looking at Steve.

"Me?" Steve asked and kept the surprise out of his voice.

"Yeah, he wanted to 'know who he was going up against', he said. He wanted to make sure you knew all about the drugs."

"Why?"

"I don't know, man, but I didn't know how this was going down. All Larry said this morning was to have the plane ready for transport and I did. He was working out all the details with the others. And I _didn't_ know you were gonna get shot."

Steve nodded his head toward the door. "Have HPD take him back to holding, Captain. We're done here."

"Hey, that's all I know. Really," Hector said as Lou unfastened his cuff from the chair. "I swear it."

"We'll see about that," Steve told him. "But if you remember _any_thing else, you might want to let us know."

"Yeah, man, this wasn't how this was supposed to go down."

Grover chuckled. "Ya think, Einstein?"

**~~~H50~~~**

They convened in the office a few minutes later, both Danny and Grover watching Steve come from the bathroom.

"You OK?" Danny asked.

"Huh? Yeah."

"You're looking kind of pale," Danny observed.

"I'm not—"

"Looking pale to me, too," Lou added.

"Should I state the obvious?" Steve said with a grin. "Of course I look pale to you."

"Don't go there, McGarrett," Grover warned him, but his smile tempered the warning. "I can tell your side is hurting, maybe it's time to head home and get some rest."

"Yeah, we'll leave soon," Steve said while gathering everyone around the smart table. "Anything new here?"

"Nothing," Chin reported. "Maybe a facial recognition on one of the guys, but it hasn't been verified yet. Still waiting on word back from Columbia, but I'm not holding my breath for anything concrete. This White Ghost, as he calls himself, does seem to be pretty elusive."

Steve nodded. "I doubt Columbia will come through, but it's at least worth a try. OK, it's late and our suspects are locked down tight. Since Mr. Ghost isn't a citizen, we can hold him pending further information. Let's go home and get some rest. Tomorrow's Saturday. We can meet back up at noon and start fresh."

"Sounds like a plan," Kono said, heading to her office for her keys. "I'm going home to sleep. You guys going out?"

Chin shook his head. "Nah, I'm headed home, too."

Danny yawned and then laughed. "Don't think I'd be much company tonight. I'm headed to bed."

"Sounds good," Lou agreed. "I can already hear my bed calling my name."

"Good work, guys," Steve told everyone while heading to his office to shut down for the night. He came back into the common area to see that everyone but Danny had left.

"How about I drive you home?" Danny offered. "You look beat and I know you are hurting. I also know that you were getting sick in the bathroom earlier," he told Steve. "Leave your truck and I can pick you up in the morning."

Steve opened his mouth to argue, then realized he really didn't feel like driving. Surprisingly to both him and Danny, he agreed. "Yeah, OK."

"OK? Did you say OK?" Danny griped. "Will wonders never cease? Now… gimme the keys before you change your mind."

**~~~H50~~~**

Steve gave a half hearted wave as Danny drove away. He unlocked the house and entered, closing the door and leaning his forehead against the smooth wood. _He was tired._

He debated eating something but knew he wasn't hungry. His side was throbbing and he felt nauseous again. So he locked up and tiredly went upstairs. He kicked off his boots and set his sidearm in the drawer of the bedside table before heading to the bathroom.

Steve came back into the bedroom dressed for bed and longingly looked at Catherine's pillow, wishing with all his heart that she was in his bed. He climbed in and rolled toward it, as he had done every night since she had been gone. Breathing in her scent, talking to her in his head, telling her about his day.

Three minutes.

That was all it took until Steve was fast asleep.

... tbc...

**~~~H50~~~**

_**I hope this has tweaked your interest so that you will come back for future chapters! Chapter 2 will be posted next Tuesday. **_

_**I would like to invite you to check out the Whump2Go site on Wordpress that Sam has so diligently been working on. This (and our other stories) will also be posted on that site along with some "extras" we plan to work on for the stories. Details to follow… but please go to:**_

_**Whump2go dot wordpress dot com and join. I look forward to seeing you there.**_

_**Mahalo, Cokie**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Kea akua lapu**_

_**By Cokie**_

_**Author's Note: Thanks so much for the overwhelming "welcome back" notes I have received. I believe I have answered each one that I could. For those of you who sign in as guests, please know I appreciate your kind words as well. Don't be bashful… sign in and join the fun!**_

_**Several of you indicated you had no idea where this was headed. Not sure I fully know either, so let's see what happens! **_

_**~~~H50~~~**_

_**Chapter 2**_

"_Hey, Sailor."_

Steve heard her voice and smiled in his sleep, but didn't turn toward her until he felt the dip on the mattress beside him. Her voice pulled him from slumber while her fingers traced a line up his arm to rest against the side of his neck.

"_Steve, wake up."_

" 'M wake," he mumbled and opened his eyes to stare at her bathed in the moonlight filtering in from the windows. He was in shock that she had returned to him in the middle of the night. Steve smiled and pushed up on the pillows, reaching for her hand. He moved it to his lips and lightly caressed it while murmuring, "You should have called." He took a closer look at Catherine, seeing her love for him in dark eyes that were brimming with unshed, happy tears.

"I was hoping to surprise you," she admitted, reaching up to remove the muted-blue-striped hijab that was still draped over her hair. She was still dressed in eastern clothing with flowing pants and a long tunic on top of it. With her hair free, she fluffed it with her fingers.

Cath looked tired… and weary, but no matter, she was still beautiful to him. "Are you all right?" he asked concerned.

She smiled at him. "Of course I am. Back home, safe and sound. If… you'll have me?"

Steve had no words for what he thought was her silly question, but his smile said it all. He reached for her, but before he could hug her to him, he saw a figure dressed in white slide into the room holding a sword in his hand. Before Steve could react, the man lunged toward them and the sword's blade was thrust into Catherine's back and pushed through her heart. Her blood spurted, coating his tee shirt and the bed before she collapsed on him like a rag doll, a look of shock and surprise on her face.

"NO!" The guttural sound was ripped from his lips and he watched her bleed out in his arms. "No no no no. Cath," he cried.

Movement of white caught his eye when the man rushed from the room. Steve laid Catherine's body on the bed beside him and jumped up, ripping open the drawer that held his sidearm. He raced down the stairs to follow the assassin, intent on putting a bullet between the man's eyes.

The house was silent. And seemingly empty.

Steve raced to the back to find the lanai doors firmly locked, just like the front.

But Steve knew the man was there. Waiting. He could feel him in the house.

And as soon as he found him, he was a dead man.

Steve cocked his head as a whisper floated through the room. _I'm a ghost._

**~~~H50~~~**

Danny wasn't really worried when he couldn't reach his partner. He had called twice to ask if Steve wanted to grab a quick lunch before heading in for work, but knowing him like he did, he assumed Steve was out for a run and didn't hear his phone. Which wasn't a problem… but, if he caught Steve swimming with that gash in his side, Danny was going to go into the mother of all rants!

He pulled into the drive around 11:15, thinking that if Steve grabbed a quick shower they could still either eat something on the way or make a call to the rest of the team's orders and pick up something to take in to work. Either way, Danny was famished and ready to eat. With the long hours at work for the last few weeks, the milk he needed for his breakfast cereal was at the clumping stage, his carton of eggs had expired two weeks ago and the loaf of bread was well on its way to make the next batch of penicillin.

Steve's front door was locked, so Danny used his key to enter the house. Listening to the silence, he could tell that Steve wasn't inside so he headed toward the back lanai. The door was closed, but unlocked so he walked outside to see if he could see his partner. It was one of those picture-perfect Hawaiian days and even Danny had to admit that it was nice. The sky was blue with white puffy clouds over the ocean. A breeze counteracted the bright sun of near noon and ruffled the plants and trees around the house.

Danny walked toward the beach in search of his partner but saw no one. Normally when Steve swam, he threw his towel and phone on one of the chairs at the edge of the lawn, but the chairs were empty. _At least we can cancel that argument_, Danny thought to himself. He turned to head back into the house when he was tackled from behind and knocked to the ground, a hand clamped hard over his mouth. In a quick move, his attacker rolled to the side and they landed in the shrubbery.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Steve's voice hissed in Danny's ear. "Stay down and be quiet," he ordered.

The hand left his mouth and Danny turned to his partner. "What the hell—" He stopped speaking, staring in shock at the man on the ground beside him. Steve was wearing an old tee shirt and shorts; the clothing soaked in sweat and streaked with dirt and leaves from the yard. His eyes were… Danny couldn't begin to describe the haunted look in them. Steve reached for his weapon, gripping it with both hands and turning around to stare through the bushes.

"Steve? What's wrong?"

"I said to be quiet," Steve told him, taking a quick glance toward the water. "They're coming," he whispered.

"Who's here?" Danny whispered back, taking out his own firearm and checking out the view before them but seeing nothing but sand and water.

"Don't know," Steve admitted, wiping his forehead on his arm. "But they're coming from the water."

"How do you know that?"

"I know, all right? That's what they do."

_That's what who do? _Danny reached out and touched Steve's shoulder to get his partner's attention. He didn't like what he was seeing and while he didn't know what was wrong, Danny knew that something was drastically off. Glancing at Steve's side, he could see his dirty shirt was tinged with blood and he could feel the heat radiating off him.

"OK, tell me what happened," Danny asked, hunkering down next to his partner. He didn't understand this, and knew he was probably in over his head, but he knew the only way to figure it out was to follow Steve's lead.

"I… they…" Steve couldn't form the words. "Danny, he…"

"Steve… it's all right, tell me."

"Damn it, it's not all right," Steve bit out then sucked in his breath. "He killed Cath."

"Cath? Oh, my God." Danny was shocked. "Who called you? CIA?"

"No," Steve shook his head. "No." The word was close to a sob and he leaned forward to wipe his forehead on his hand. "She… Danny, she came home. Last night. She's here."

"What? You said she's dead. Steve, come on, man, what's going on."

"Not now," he hissed, checking the water once again. "He killed her and now he's coming for me."

"Who killed her?"

"The ghost," Steve bit out. "Don't you see… he got to her because of me."

Danny didn't 'see' any of it. "Steve, why didn't you call me? Or back up? How long have you been out here?" The only 'ghost' Danny knew was the Columbian they had busted yesterday. And Danny knew without a doubt that he hadn't killed Cath nor was he hunting Steve.

Steve looked at him and then shook his head. "Didn't have time to call. I had to track him. Danny, just shut up and quit asking questions."

Danny didn't know what was going on, but he knew his partner wasn't making any sense. This wasn't Steve talking; that much he knew. Before he could do anything, Danny needed to check the house. "OK, listen Steve, I'm going to go back into the house—"

"No! Don't go there. Cath…"

"Listen to me, I need to get inside so I can call for back up. I'll meet the team and get them out here. You stay here and guard the back and I'll make sure no one comes from the street, OK?"

"No… yeah, I guess. Just be careful, Danny."

"You, too. I'll be back."

"Stay down."

"I will." Danny kept to the tree line and headed back to the lanai, turning to look at his partner who was still lying on the grass, peering through the foliage to see the water. Danny didn't know what had happened but he knew he… and Steve needed help. But to be on the safe side, he raced up the stairs to check the rest of the house.

On the off chance that Catherine… or her body… was really there.

The house was empty although the bed looked like a battle had taken place. The pillows were on the floor and the sheets were pulled off the mattress. Blood smears were on the bedding, no doubt from Steve's wound. And while Danny was certainly thankful that there was not a body in the bedroom, the hallucination Steve was in worried him even more.

Danny knew his partner was not totally with it, but he didn't know if it was from illness or… what.  
>Right now, Steve's reality wasn't here in Hawaii. He sighed, knowing he needed to do something quickly.<p>

And the only person he could think of to call was Lou Grover.

"You're late," Grover stated when he accepted the call. "Where are you and that sorry partner of yours?"

"Lou."

"What's wrong?" The tone of Danny's voice when he said that one word told the captain that something was very definitely not right.

"Man, I don't know." Danny ran his hand through his hair and walked back downstairs. "Listen, I know that you and Steve… well, a few weeks back I asked him to go to the park with Grace and me and he said you two had a … 'thing'… that you were going to have dinner and talk about … stuff. OK, he was vague, but I got the impression you two were going to talk about some heavy stuff. Things that he needs to get off his chest."

"Right," Grover said. "But what's wrong? Where's Steve?"

Danny looked out the back windows. "He's hunkered down in his back yard waiting for an enemy to appear out of the water. And he said this person killed Catherine last night. Here, in their bedroom."

"Hang tight. I'll be right there."

**~~~H50~~~**

Lou didn't resort to the siren, but he pulled into the drive ten minutes later, lights strobing in his truck's grill. Danny opened the front door and met him on the walk.

"So, where's our boy?" Lou asked.

"Around back," Danny replied as they walked back into the house. "Lou, he's still wearing the clothes he slept in, he's burning up, and having the wildest hallucination ever. I don't know how long he's been like this." They headed to the back of the house to get a view of Steve's location through the windows.

"I don't even see him," Lou commented.

"To the right, pretty much under those shrubs. Wearing navy shorts and a gray shirt."

Grover sighed. "So, tell me what he happened."

"I couldn't find him when I got here, so I walked out to the edge of the yard thinking he might be out on a run or something. He pretty much tackled me and pulled me in the bushes with him. He's hyper-alert; had his weapon out and said that someone was coming for him from the water. That same person was here last night and supposedly killed Cath. He didn't want me to leave, but I told him I would cover the front of the house in case they tried to get in this way. I knew I had to do something, but it was like… well, he wasn't even focused on this reality. Do you think this could be hallucinations from an infected wound?"

"Hard to believe infection would set in that quickly," Grover replied. "It didn't look all that bad yesterday when it happened."

"Yeah, I know. One other thing… he said the 'ghost' did this. The only ghost I know of is the nutcase we arrested yesterday. I just wish I knew where Steve was coming from. Do you think we can talk him down enough to get him to the ER?"

Grover reached for the door knob. "I don't know. But we're sure as hell gonna try."

Before they reached him, Danny quietly called Steve's name. He learned the hard way a couple years ago it isn't smart to surprise a SEAL by sneaking up on him.

"Report, Danny," Steve ordered without even turning around.

"No movement on the front," Danny replied, glancing at Grover who slowly shook his head. "But I brought in reinforcements. Lou is here."

"Good, we can use him," Steve said and spared a glance around. "You two better get down. They'll be here any minute."

"Who'll be here, Steve?" Grover kneeled in the grass next to Steve. "Where'd you get your Intel?"

"Intel?" Steve cut a glance to the side. "They've already been here. I'm just ready for the next attack."

"I see. Why don't we pull back and take a position inside the house? There's more cover there and we'll be able to see better."

"No. Can't go in the house."

"Why not?"

"I can't. I… we've got to…"

His voice trailed off in confusion.

"Steve, look at me," Grover asked. He thought for a moment that Steve wasn't listening, but finally he got a look at his friend's haunted face. "Do you remember why you're out here?"

"Of course I— I…"

"Let's get inside and talk this over," Grover said with a nod toward the house. "We'll get everything figured out."

"No! We can't go inside. Too much blood." His voice hitched when he remembered how this nightmare began. "Way too much blood," he whispered then turned back around. "I'm gonna kill him. Gotta kill him."

"Who, Steve? Who are you going to kill?"

"The damn ghost!" he yelled. "He killed Catherine."

"OK, Steve, think a minute. We arrested that ghost fella yesterday. He's in lock up. He's not coming here for you."

"But he—"

"Let's get in the house and I'll show you."

"But Cath…"

"She's not there, Steve."

"She is here! The blood. I saw her die. Look, her blood is on me…" He rolled to show Lou his clothing and pointed to his shirt. Looking down he saw his dirty tee shirt.

But no blood.

Steve looked from his shirt to his friends, his expression one of total confusion. "Where'd it go?"

**~~~H50~~~**

_**Notes:**_

**If you haven't subscribed to whump2go dot wordpress dot com yet, you will miss an exclusive story that Sam will be posting later this week.**

_**Twist Of Fate**_** will be the first whump-2-go exclusive. Don't miss it!**

**It will have McRoll, Steve and Danny friendship, hurt /comfort, Chin and Kono, drama, and something Sam hasn't done before. ;-) Trust me… I was surprised! **

**Cokie**


	3. Chapter 3

_**OK, this isn't much of an excuse, but I actually forgot to post this yesterday... and I had even uploaded it on Monday evening. Sorry about that...**_

_**Kea akua lapu**_

_**By Cokie**_

_**Chapter 3**_

_Steve looked from his shirt to his friends, his expression one of total confusion. "Where'd it go?"_

~~~H50~~~

"Come in the kitchen and let me take a look at your side," Danny offered once they were back in the house. He had questioned whether he and Grover were dealing with this the right way, but apparently Steve and Grover understood each other. At least, when Lou had asked him to come back inside, Steve did so.

His friend still appeared dazed but Steve had surrendered his weapon without protest when Grover had held out his hand and then he turned to follow Danny toward the house. He had hesitated before entering, but with Grover's hand on his shoulder, Steve had little opportunity to turn around.

"I-ah- must've had a nightmare," Steve haltingly told them, still looking like he questioned the truth.

Danny tried to give his partner a reassuring smile. One that he knew fell quite flat. "Yeah, but thankfully it wasn't real. The bad guys are locked up." Watching Grover setting Steve's SIG on top of the refrigerator out of sight, reminded him that this could have been a very volatile confrontation.

Steve looked again at his clothes, absently wiping a leaf to the floor.

"Let me check you out," Danny asked again, reaching over to raise the dirty tee shirt.

"It's OK," Steve said, holding his hand to his side. "Just hurts a little."

"It's been bleeding some," Grover told him. "Better let Williams get a look at it."

Once again Danny was surprised to see that Steve obeyed the captain. He nodded and raised his shirt, trying to assess the damage to his side.

The gauze pads that had been used the day before were as dirty as the shirt. One side of the adhesive tape had come loose and the bandage was bunched up, exposing the gash. Danny peeled the rest of it away and they all peered at it.

"See," Steve said. "Not too bad."

And it wasn't. Danny and Grover were both surprised that the wound looked as good as it did. It still looked raw and one side of it had bled a bit, but that was because the edges of gauze had rubbed against it.

"Hmph," Lou mumbled. "Looks damn good to me. With a little cleaning up, you'll be as right as rain."

"Think it needs to be checked by a doctor?" Danny asked, and thought it would be a chance to make sure Steve didn't need more help than they could provide.

"No doctor," Steve immediately replied. "I'll just… maybe I'll go clean up."

"You do that," Grover intercepted before Danny could argue. "We'll rustle up something to eat."

Steve nodded and without a word, turned and left the kitchen.

Danny looked at Lou and blew out a breath. "Thanks for coming. He listens to you more than he does me."

Grover shrugged. "You've known him longer. I can get away with things you can't."

"Well, whatever the reason, thanks for the back up." He shrugged. "But he needs to see a doctor. I know he's got a fever… can't believe his side looks as good as it does. I was sure he would have a raging infection."

"Let's sit tight for a while and see what's going on. Maybe he just had the mother of all nightmares last night. I think we should give him a chance to sort things out."

"Yeah, maybe you're right," Danny agreed, opening the refrigerator, exclaiming, "This looks worse than what my fridge had to offer. How about we call out for something? I'll go pick it up."

"Sounds like a plan," Grover agreed, intently listening. "Shouldn't we have heard water running by now?"

Danny listened and nodded. "Yeah. Maybe I should—"

"If you don't mind, I'd like to go," Lou offered, to which Danny quickly agreed with a wave of his hand.

"Be my guest."

~~~H50~~~

Steve stood in the doorway of the bedroom, not moving but staring at the unmade bed. He knew what he had seen. And heard… felt… and smelled. It had all been so real.

His last sense when he bolted from the room the night before was the acrid smell of freshly-spilled blood.

Catherine had been here. He had held her. He had watched her die.

Yet… that couldn't be true. His eyes were telling him another story. In the light of day, the room was intact; the bed was in shambles but there was no blood. No body. No Catherine.

Of which he was totally grateful, but still… he couldn't get rid of the sight he had witnessed last night.

~~~H50~~~

Steve didn't even hear Lou walk up the stairs and watch him staring at the room beyond the open doorway. It was surely a testament to Steve's frame of mind not to hear the other man's footfalls on the steps. And it was not an easy task to catch him unaware.

"Hey," Lou said, announcing his presence. "Need any help?"

Steve jumped at the sound and glanced sheepishly at his friend, shaking his head in a negative motion. He turned to gaze again at the room, still hesitating to cross the threshold.

"Pretty nasty dream, huh?" Lou asked without pushing the issue.

"The worst," Steve whispered and reached up and rubbed his forehead. "I… man, I don't know what caused that. I mean… it was real, Lou. I saw her," he told his friend with a low voice. Steve felt like saying it out loud would make the night's events even more unreal.

"You feeling OK otherwise?" Grover asked in a surprisingly gentle tone.

"Uh, yeah, I guess. Got a helluva headache, but that's probably from no sleep. I'll feel better after a shower." He looked at Lou and shrugged… and finally walked into the bedroom.

"I'll leave you to it then," Lou told him. "Yell if you need anything. Danny's going to go pick up some food… he said something about your cupboard being totally bare. Anything sound good?"

The thought of food made Steve's stomach turn but he hid his distress and shook his head. "Nah, whatever you guys want. But we need to make it quick so we can get back to work on the case this afternoon."

"Yeah, not a problem," Grover said. "I'll meet you back downstairs."

Steve quickly headed to the bathroom, trying to block out the whispers in his head.

_You don't know me. Never catch me. Ghost… Coming for you…_

_~~~H50~~~_

Steve was adamant about heading to work and was ready to fight over his decision. He had come back downstairs after his shower wearing cargoes and carrying his tee shirt. He held gauze squares and tape in his hand and held it out to Lou.

"Can I trust you to put this on without trying to kill me this time?"

"It'd be my pleasure," the captain said with a smile, saluting Steve with his cup of coffee.

Steve looked at Danny who was standing facing the stove waving a spatula. "Thought you were picking up something?" Steve asked.

Danny glanced at him over his shoulder. "Decided on omelets instead," he replied. "Quick and easy and I know you like them… no matter what you say about my eggs."

Steve offered him a ghost of a smile and yelped when Grover stuck some Neosporin-drenched gauze on his side. "Warn a guy next time, Lou."

"Then pay attention," Grover shot back, continuing to work. "And I'd like to offer a suggestion that you not worry about work today. We can handle it. You need to get some rest."

"Yeah, Steve," Danny chimed in. "Why don't you just lay low today? Let your side heal."

"My side is fine," Steve told them. "Look, I had a nightmare," he finally acknowledged out loud. "It was crazy, but it's over. I'm fine, my side is fine, and _**we**_ need to get on with work."

Grover hesitated then shrugged while taping the edges of Steve's bandage. "You're the boss."

"Glad someone realizes it," Steve grumbled.

"Didn't say a thing," Danny retorted, sliding ham and cheese omelets onto three plates.

"You were thinking it," Steve replied as he sat down at the table.

"That I was," Danny agreed, handing a plate to his friend. "Eat up. We've got coffee and fresh juice on the counter."

~~~H50~~~

Kono and Chin were no closer to any answers than they were the night before. All they could tell Steve when the men arrived was that everyone had been booked, including the White Ghost. His name at the booking was "John Doe".

"Looks more like 'Juan Doe' to me," Danny said.

Kono rolled her eyes at him. "Watch it, Brah, those words could get you in trouble."

"Yeah, just like McGarrett's comment that he was 'paler' than me," Lou groused good naturedly.

"That was taken totally out of context," Steve shot back, heading to his office. "But that doesn't make it any less true. I'm going to see if I can call in any favors with the Navy," he told them. "Let me know if you get anything."

The team began disbursing to their own offices when Danny slapped Grover on the back and nodded his head toward the break area. "Come buy me a cup of coffee."

"I can do that," Lou replied quietly. "What's up?"

Danny filled a cup and handed it to the other man, weighing how he wanted to ask his favor. "I've sort of got a problem," he finally admitted, taking a sip of his own coffee. He glanced toward Steve's office and sighed. "Grace is having a friend over tonight and tomorrow I'm taking them to a cheer competition. But I'm—"

"You're worried about your partner," Lou finished for him. "And I understand. Not to worry, I'll keep an eye on him."

"You don't mind?" Danny asked, relief in his voice.

"Hell, no," Grover replied. "I was going to check on him anyway. And this way, I'm doing you a favor, so you owe me. It's a win-win… for me," he finished with a smirk. "Seriously, I want to keep watch on him. Something's still off."

"Yeah, I agree. That's what's got me worried." With one last glance toward Steve's office, Danny headed toward his own. "Thanks, man."

"You go and have fun painting your toenails with the girls tonight," Grover told him. "Been there, done that."

"Oh, yeah?" Danny asked. "Pink?"

"Fire engine red," Lou assured him with a grin.

~~~H50~~~

Steve sat at his desk, staring at the computer screen. He had managed to fire off an email to a Navy friend based in South America to see if anyone had any contacts or had heard of the "White Ghost". But mostly, he kept replaying last night's nightmare in his head, on a continuous loop like an old movie reel that had ended but continually flapped against the end of the spindle.

Catherine.

Her face… Her smell… Her smile.

Her blood… Surprised, pain filled eyes.

Death.

As much as he hated doing so, he bolted from his office, rushed past his colleagues and barely made it to the bathroom stall before his lunch reappeared in spectacular fashion.

~~~H50~~~

The team watched Steve rush past from their offices. Grover stood and headed toward Danny's office. "I've got this," he assured him. "I'll fill you in later."

Danny nodded. "Thanks, Lou. I'll handle things here. Have you found anything out on the case?"

"Not really, but there are a couple of notes on my desk if you want to grab them. Might be a lead in there somewhere."

The captain then walked to Steve's office and picked up some items on his desk before heading to confront Steve in the restroom.

Steve opened the restroom door a few minutes later to find himself face to face with Lou who was lounging against the opposite wall.

"Ready to go?" Grover asked, taking a close look at his friend who looked paler than he had earlier. Adding to the paleness was the sheen of sweat on his forehead and a shakiness that hadn't been there before.

"Guess so," came the surprising answer. Which was another testament to how crappy Steve really felt.

"Come on, I'll take you home," Grover told his friend and new boss. He was sure Steve would have put up a fight about going home if any of the other Five-0 members had suggested that he go home.

_Maybe it was because Steve had already opened up about his troubles to him_, Lou mused as he watched the compliant SEAL walk out of headquarters. He would make sure that the trust Steve had put in him was justified.

**~~~H50~~~**

**If you haven't subscribed to whump2go dot wordpress dot com yet, please check out the site. (Smush all that together and you should be able to access it. The dot stands for an actual DOT). A couple of ****people said they couldn't find it; if you have trouble, please let either Sam or me know and we'll get you there!**

**Chapter 2 of**_** Twist Of Fate**_** has been posted on whump2go. Don't miss it!**

**And… we would also like to announce a series of Season 5 exclusives. We (one or both of us – OR - the two of us writing together) have committed to write at least one coda or missing scene for each of the 25 episodes this season. So… please continue to check whump2go for new fiction each week. And if there is a scene that you are absolutely dying to see, leave us a note on the blog. I won't make promises that we can write it, but we will see if we can come up with something.**


	4. Chapter 4

**_Kea akua lapu_**

**_By Cokie_**

**_~~~H50~~~_**

_**Chapter 4**_

Steve took a deep breath in the light afternoon breeze when they exited the building, thankful for the cooling effect of the air on his hot flesh. The normal afternoon rain had brought cooler temperatures to what had been a muggy day. He hadn't realized the office temps had been so stifling until he felt the wind on his face. He reached into his pocket and retrieved his keys, then looked at Grover, a bit embarrassed at the situation.

"Hey, I'm good. You don't… ah… need to follow me."

"Follow?" Lou pointed toward his own truck. "I'm driving."

"No, I'm taking my truck home. Left it here last night, but I need it at home."

"McGarrett—"

"Listen Lou, I'm fully capable of driving. I've got some kind of bug. It'll pass. I don't need a sitter."

"I didn't say you do, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried. Go ahead and drive, but I'm following you. Like it or not, you're not getting rid of me that easily."

Steve nodded and tiredly went to his truck and climbed inside which was a task that he didn't feel should have zapped as much energy as it had. He sat there with both hands on the steering wheel trying to stop the tremors that were shaking him. He sighed, knowing Lou was probably watching his every move. Starting the truck, he backed out of the space and turned right onto the street, glancing in his mirror to see Lou on his bumper.

_Great. Now I've got two watchdogs._

**~~~H50~~~**

Traffic was heavy in the afternoon rush hour, creeping along at a pace slower than a good walk. Steve just wanted to get home. His stomach was still doing somersaults and he knew it wouldn't be long before who- knows-what would make a second appearance. And with the stop-start-jolt-stop action of the truck causing the pain in his head to ratchet, it would be sooner than later.

After creeping for another couple of minutes, the traffic finally began to disappear. He idly wondered how all of a sudden, the cars managed to start moving again. There were no police cars, no accidents, no stalled vehicles… yet the traffic crept. He hit the gas and glanced in the rear view mirror and saw a white van cut between his and Grover's truck. A quick look out the right side mirror and he could see the passenger with what looked to be a sawed-off shotgun halfway out the window.

_Shit._ Steve reached for his weapon, only to realize it had been setting on his desk. He then remembered it was one of the items Grover was carrying when he met him in the hall. Belatedly Steve realized the other item in Lou's hand had been his cell phone. Why he hadn't demanded that Lou hand over both was beyond him. He obviously had been more out of it than he wanted to admit.

Glancing out both mirrors, Steve could see the driver and his passenger, both dressed in white, steadily remaining on his bumper. As the traffic spread out further, Steve took action. He hit the gas and swerved from the left into the right lane, the vehicle behind him mimicking his move. He quickly passed a minivan before cutting it off as he moved back into the left lane in time to take a sharp turn at the next intersection.

The tires squealed in protest from the quick change of directions and the back of the truck fish tailed into the left turn. A quick look in the rearview mirror showed that the white van was nowhere to be seen. Steve doubled back around the block and pulled back out onto Beretania, keeping an eye out for the vehicle as he headed in the direction of home.

He pulled into the drive to find Grover standing beside his own truck, his arms crossed over his ample chest and a scowl on his face. Steve slowed and parked behind the other truck and after taking a moment to calm down, slowly got out.

"What the hell was that?" Lou shouted.

"What?" Steve asked in irritation.

Grover waved his arms in a good imitation of Danny. "That… that crazy ass move where you scared the soccer mom half to death speeding around her car only to cut her off. And why the hell did you turn left when your house was this-a-way?"

"You didn't see the white van that cut you off?"

"Who cut me off? A van merged between us but it turned right just before you pulled your crazy stunt. I was behind you until you took off like a bat outta hell."

"The passenger in the van had a gun—"

"That passenger was a kid with his hockey stick hanging out the window," Grover yelled back.

"No, it… he…" Steve stopped talking. What had seemed so real earlier was fading from his memory. "I… the van…"

Lou saw the look of confusion cross Steve's features and plucked the keys from his friend's hand and headed toward the door. "Let's get inside. Not to be rude or anything, but you look like something the cat dragged in."

Steve realized his head was pounding to the beat of his heart and his stomach began to roll. He headed in the open door and straight for the bathroom without another word to Grover.

Several minutes later he stared at his expression in the bathroom mirror. Even he had to admit he was pale and the dark circles beneath his eyes didn't help his complexion any. _It's a stomach bug_ he tried to assure himself, all the while willing his hands to stop shaking. He grabbed the sink with both hands when a wave of dizziness hit. He glanced in the mirror again once the wave passed, only to see himself twice in the reflection. He blinked and there was one of him. But behind his right shoulder stood the White Ghost, his mouth curled in a knowing sneer.

Steve jerked, knocking the bottle of liquid soap onto the floor. He turned only to find himself alone in the bathroom, the door still closed and locked. No one was there.

"Hey, you OK?" Lou's voice came from the other side of the door.

He quickly turned on the water and yelled out, "Yeah, be out in a minute."

Steve cupped his hands and splashed water on his face before drying his hands. Purposely not looking in the mirror again, he left the room.

**~~~H50~~~**

He found Grover in the kitchen adding coffee to the coffee maker on the counter. Tylenol and a bottle of water were setting on the island as a not-so-subtle hint. Without a word, Steve uncapped the bottle and downed three of the pills.

"You gonna lie down?" Grover asked.

"No… because it isn't my nap time, Lou," Steve shot back, glancing around the room. "Where's my SIG and phone?"

"The phone's on the table," Grover said, turning around to stare at Steve. "Why do you need your gun?"

Steve stared at him. He knew he couldn't tell his friend that a ghost was after him. As if you can kill a ghost with a gun anyway. "Lou?" His tone of voice and demeanor appeared non-negotiable.

"Upstairs in your bedroom, in the nightstand. I saw you put it there the last time I was here," the captain told him. "Since you don't want to sleep, want to sit outside?"

"Yeah, I guess," Steve replied. "You know, you don't—"

"I know, I know. I don't have to stay," Grover ended for him. "But I'm gonna, OK?"

"What about your family?"

"I called my wife from the truck on the way over. Told her I was helping out a friend. She's good with that. No questions asked."

Steve nodded and took his bottle of water and headed to the back lanai. Standing there, he longingly looked at the chairs near the water but decided that the distance wasn't worth it. He was tired and hurting so he dropped into a chaise on the lanai.

Lou leaned against the door jamb with his cup of coffee. "I don't suppose you would consider being checked out by a doctor?" he proposed.

Steve jerked his head around to glare at his friend, no need for a reply. But his glare lost its needed oomph when he had to blink rapidly trying to clear up the dizziness his movement caused. He quickly looked down to the porch to clear up his vision and ignored the look he knew he was getting from Grover.

**~~~H50~~~**

Lou took a seat and chose to ignore whatever had happened to Steve, but knew there was no way he intended to leave him alone without first knowing what was wrong with him. If it was an infection or a 'bug' as Steve called it, OK, but if it was something worse… well, he was going to be there.

The two sat in an uneasy silence for a few minutes before Grover spoke. "When's the last time you heard from Catherine?"

Steve flinched visibly at the mention of her name, but remained quiet for a few moments before asking, "Why?"

"One, I'm making conversation… it's the polite thing to do, but two, this seems to be related to her. So, I'm asking."

Steve sighed. "We texted last Saturday night."

"She OK?"

He hesitated once again. "Guess so."

"Want to talk about the nightmare since it relates to her?"

"Hell, no."

"Up until this, have you been sleeping?"

"Jeez, Lou, what's with the Twenty Questions? Can we just drop it?"

"No, we can't. Steve… something happened this morning and we can't ignore it any longer. You were out there, hunting for bear. What would have happened if someone had walked along the beach? Care to answer that?"

Steve glanced toward the ocean. "I wouldn't… it was…"

"Exactly. You don't have an answer. Steve, we can't just let this go. And add to that, your crazy-ass driving earlier…" Grover paused and shook his head, then continued. "Steve, I'm worried."

"Well, don't be. I'm fine."

"No, that's where we differ." Grover turned in his seat to stare at his friend. "You are not fine. And that's the reason I'm staying put tonight."

Steve sighed and then mumbled, "Suit yourself."

"I will," Grover shot back, taking a sip of his coffee.

Several more minutes passed before Steve spoke. "When I was driving home, I checked the mirror in the truck… I could have sworn I saw a gun," he quietly said.

_Finally,_ Lou thought. "Sometimes our eyes play tricks on us," he said, his tone even.

"It ever happen to you?" Steve still hadn't looked at his friend, but stared at his feet propped up in front of him.

Grover nodded. "Hell, yeah. After I got back… let's just say I am very lucky to have an understanding wife who didn't boot my ass to the couch for waking her and the baby up with my screaming."

"Yeah," Steve agreed with a nod. "Cath was good, too. When I was in the middle of a dream she would wake me up. But… you know, sometimes she was the one having the dreams."

"And I'm sure you helped her, too," Grover commended.

Steve nodded again. "I tried. I wonder… I mean, I hope she isn't having any now. She's out there without back up. Without _**me**_ to back her up."

"Do you think that's the reason for the nightmare last night?"

Steve looked out at the horizon and shrugged. "I don't know. It's been a crazy few weeks and I haven't gotten much sleep. I just think it was a wild nightmare. That and the fact that I've got some kind of bug."

"Yeah, you may be right," Lou agreed. "Danny said you mentioned something about a ghost this morning. Where did that come in to play?"

Steve shrugged. "You know dreams; how they can take one part of your life and merge it with another even though the events don't even coincide?" He finally looked at his friend. "I don't think there's any reason for it other than a weird dream." He smiled when he heard Grover's stomach growl.

The captain smiled back. "As you can no doubt hear, I'm hungry. Are you feeling up to anything? Thought I'd order some Chinese."

Before Steve could voice an opinion on food, his stomach did a belly flop and he hastily swallowed back bile. He shook his head and managed to breathe out the words, "No, thanks." He stood, not knowing if he was going to need to make a mad dash to the bathroom once again.

He got out of the chair; that much he distinctly remembered. But the next thing he knew, he was back in it. He opened his eyes to stare into Lou's dark ones that were much closer than Steve would have liked. Steve blinked away the dizziness and started to rise.

"You stay put," Grover ordered in a gruff tone. "If that chair hadn't been there you would have been flat on your back on the concrete. What the hell happened?"

Steve couldn't keep from making a face at the loud tones. "Lou, tone it down a notch, will ya? I just got dizzy. Maybe I do need to eat something."

Grover stood up and gave Steve some space. "Yeah, maybe so. But you're also running a temp. I've just never seen someone do a perfect imitation of a swoon, McGarrett."

Steve slowly stood once again, thankfully with no theatrics. "I did not swoon," he argued while heading toward the door.

"Yeah?" Lou shot back. "Maybe you got the vapors like my Great-Auntie Irene used to get. Only her vapors were usually of the gin variety."

Steve turned around to shut the door once Grover had followed him inside. "Bite me, Lou. Ya know, you're sounding more and more like Danny every day."

"Now there's no need to be insulting," the captain shot back. "That's a low blow."

**~~~H50~~~**

"You sure you don't want anything?" Grover asked once again while Steve warmed a bowl of soup in the microwave.

"Go, Lou," Steve said, turning to grin at him. "I am fully capable of heating and eating a bowl of soup without someone watching me."

The captain nodded, then leaned on the counter to get Steve's attention. "I know you think we're worry warts, but I kind of like to err on the side of caution."

Steve looked at his friend and admitted, "I know, Lou. And I appreciate it. Now go get some food before you die of starvation." Steve removed the hot bowl of soup and set it on the counter, burning his fingers in the process. He grabbed a towel and carried it to the living room, setting it down on the coffee table, listening to Grover's truck leave the drive.

_Finally... peace. And quiet._

He blew on the spoonful of Chicken And Stars… Cath's all-time favorite soup from when she was a child. Her mom had always made it for her when she wasn't feeling well and she loved having that 'comfort' from her childhood. Steve took a bite and smiled while remembering her insistence that they keep a couple of cans around… just in case.

And then it hit him… how much she would love to be eating some comfort food right then. He wondered when she had last eaten… or when she had slept.

Suddenly the soup before him wavered and he once again saw Cath's lifeless eyes as she fell forward onto him in their bed. He jerked back on the couch, dropping the spoon; the bowl of uneaten soup sloshing onto the table. Steve sat there trying to catch his breath, feeling Catherine's dead weight against his chest, seeing again her blood coating his hands.

A chuckle brought him out of the vision. _I'm coming for you, next…_

Steve bolted up from the couch, wiping his hands on his pants to remove the blood. He stared at them, and then at his shirt, realizing that it was only a hallucination. There was no blood.

The voice taunted him, a whisper bouncing from one wall to the next. He turned in a circle, frantically searching for its source; seeing nothing.

But Steve knew he needed to be ready. It… _**he**_ was coming. And Steve was going to fight.

_The SIG? Where the hell's my gun?_

_Upstairs. Lou took it upstairs._

Steve moved quickly toward the steps, only to stop on the landing, looking upward. He didn't want to go up there. He wasn't ready. That was where… no, that wasn't real. But still, Steve did not want to go to the bedroom. There was another weapon in the garage along with his dad's rifle. And another locked in the back of his truck.

But the bedroom was closer.

Steve took a deep breath and headed upward. He walked straight to the chest and grabbed the weapon and holster. Without a backward glance, he raced back downstairs, stopping only when the pain in his side began to throb once more.

With the holster clipped to his belt, he felt marginally calmer and managed to both slow down his racing heart and relax so that the pulsating pain in his side dulled to an ache. Steve looked out the picture window in the living room, seeing nothing untoward. His truck was where he had left it and there was no one in sight. On the way to the kitchen, he stopped and checked the back of the house. The sun was almost gone, bathing the yard in a mixture of light and shadows, but he found nothing that should not be there. He breathed a sigh of relief, then heard the front door open.

His hand went immediately to his side and the SIG was in his palm. He pressed against the kitchen wall, waiting, not breathing.

"Hey, Steve, what's with the soup? You OK?"

_Grover_.

Steve released his breath and slowly replaced the gun in his holster.

"Steve?"

"Uh, yeah, in here," he called, grabbing a roll of paper towels from the counter. He went into the living room, tearing off some towels at the same time. "Made a mess," he explained to Lou while soaking up the soup from the table.

"Why the hell you packing in your house?"

"Huh? Oh… it's just… you know, it's for safety."

"The hell it is. What happened?"

"Nothing," Steve quickly replied, not looking at his friend.

"McGarrett? Come on, Steve, take it off. We're safe for tonight."

_I'm coming for you._

Steve reached for the holster and handed it to Grover. He didn't believe for a minute that Lou was right, but he couldn't find the words to explain to his friend that he was being hunted. It would have to wait for later.

**~~~H50~~~**

Steve refused to spend the night in the bedroom. He assured Lou that many nights were spent in the brown recliner in the living room. He offered Grover one of the beds upstairs, but the captain opted for the couch against the far wall. It better fit his frame, so he grabbed a pillow and an afghan, making himself comfortable.

Grover had offered a couple of Tylenol and Steve gratefully accepted them. The pain in his side had steadily increased since his mad dash up the stairs. Once he settled down for the evening he was able to relax and dropped off to a sleep.

Lou listened to Steve's even breathing for quite a while before allowing himself to relax enough to get some shut eye. He knew he would wake if Steve even moved in the chair.

**~~~H50~~~**

The sun's first morning rays were shining thin ribbons of light on the front window when Steve jerked awake. His breath hitched when pain seared his side. He listened, knowing something woke him.

A quiet sound came from the back of the house. Almost imperceptible, but it was enough to pull him out of sleep.

A clink. The back door…

_I'm coming for you._

**~~~H50~~~**


	5. Chapter 5

_**Chapter 5**_

_A quiet sound came from the back of the house. Almost imperceptible, but it was enough to pull him out of sleep. _

_A clink. The back door…_

_I'm coming for you._

_~~~H50~~~_

Steve slowly got up from the chair, grabbing the back of it when a wave of dizziness threatened to drop him to his knees. He blinked back the grey shadows in his vision while swallowing down bile.

A sound of something being dropped came from the kitchen. He left the living room and spied the baseball bat he normally kept upstairs in the corner of the dining room. Catherine had left it down there and he had just left it, knowing it was where she had placed it.

He crept toward the kitchen door, bat at ready. He could hear subtle sounds coming from the room as if someone was rifling through his cabinets.

_What the hell is someone looking for in the kitchen?_

Wanting the element of surprise, Steve came around the corner in stealth mode, the bat held shoulder-high, ready to swing at the head of his intruder. With one final move he was across the room, swinging…

"Hey!" Lou yelled and ducked, jumping at the cracking sound the bat made when it connected with the cabinet, splintering the wood on contact.

"Steve! WOW! HEY, STOP! It's me."

Steve lowered the bat and tried to ram it into the intruder; now that he stood so close he couldn't swing it again without giving up his advantage. But instead of hitting its target the bat punched a hole into the cabinet and Steve cried out in pain when his wrist was grabbed and twisted. But he wouldn't give up that easily, he shoved back and used the palm of his hand to go for the man's nose. But his opponent was good, he saw it coming and turned slightly at the same time elbowing Steve in his wounded side. Steve grunted at the pain and dug the fingers of his other hand into the man's neck, still not realizing that he was fighting his friend.

"Steve. Stop!"

Steve did anything but stop; he doubled his effort to fight the intruder. But he found himself being jerked off balance when the larger man managed to get his leg behind Steve's and throw them both off balance. Steve felt himself being thrown into the counter, his side once again slamming into the edge. With a grunt of pain followed by a curse, he slammed his head back, right into the intruder's face. Blood immediately spurted from the big man's nose. But the triumph was short lived when Steve lost his footing and landed face first on the island.

He slid down and was on his knees when his arm was grabbed and painfully bent behind his back. A large hand grabbed him by the neck of his shirt.

"Listen. To. Me! Steve, it's Lou. Calm down."

Steve tried to twist away, but the fight left him.

"Steve?"

"Let me go," Steve grunted out, still struggling.

Lou shook him once more to keep his attention. "Are you back with me? Do you know where you are?"

"Get off me."

Grover lessened his grip and dropped his hand on Steve's shoulder. "I repeat, are you with me?"

Steve collapsed against the cabinet, breathing heavily. "Yeah."

He reached up his hand to touch his already-swollen and bloody lip, trying to calm his erratic breathing. Steve watched as Grover dropped to the floor next to him, reaching for a towel to staunch the blood from his nose.

"You pack a wallop, you know that?"

Steve sighed and propped his elbows on his bent knees and covered his face with his shaking hands. He couldn't look at his friend, but mumbled a soft, "Sorry."

"I've had worse," Grover admitted, nudging him with his shoulder. "And I have no doubt if you were at full speed, I would be flat on my ass."

Steve was quiet for a few moments, before finally asking, "Lou? What the hell's wrong with me?"

**~~~H50~~~**

"Well, Commander," the ER doctor spoke upon entering the exam room. He flipped through the papers in the chart and continued, "from all your test results, it simply looks like a bad case of the flu." He looked from the chart to Steve, adding, "Which your symptoms point to as well. When you got here your temp was right at 101; that is causing your chills. Tylenol should help keep the fever down, but don't be surprised if it climbs a bit tonight." The doctor paused again and made a note in his file. "If so, take a cool shower or use cold compresses. If you take a shower, use plastic wrap on your side to keep the dressing from getting wet. I'll prescribe Phenergan for the nausea and also an antibiotic just in case this is bacterial in nature. The dizziness and lightheadedness should disappear if you can eat and keep the food down."

He set the chart aside and glanced at Steve who was seated on the exam table and then at Lou who was leaning against the wall. "As for the wound in your side, I'll send in a nurse to clean and bandage it. It doesn't look too bad; there's no visible sign of infection but taking a header into the counter didn't help it any. We've sent your blood work to the lab, but won't have the results until sometime tomorrow. But frankly, but I doubt it will show anything untoward. Bottom line," he summed up, "you're gonna feel like crap for a couple more days. You should go home and go to bed."

Steve simply closed his eyes at that recommendation. Going to bed was the last thing he wanted to do.

"Doc, I have a task force to run. Bed isn't an option."

The doctor shook his head. "I would venture to say that you have qualified people on your team that can handle the job for the next couple of days." He pointed his finger in Steve's direction. "My suggestion is for you to let them. Do you have any questions?"

Steve shrugged but didn't ask anything. Lou, on the other hand, decided to step in. "Would that fever be high enough to cause nightmares?"

"Lou…"

"What?" he asked Steve. "It's obvious you're not going to bring it up."

"How long have these been going on?" he doctor asked.

Steve cut an "I'll get you for this later" look at Lou but answered the question. "I've had a couple this week. But Doc, show me a patient… or a doctor for that matter, here at Tripler who hasn't had nightmares. It comes with the territory."

"That it does," Dr. Rosen agreed. "But you don't need to let them continue. Are you getting any sleep?"

"Some," Steve admitted quietly.

"Let me prescribe a light sleep aid…" He held up his hand to stop Steve from arguing—"just to get you past the flu. If the nightmares continue after this week, you need to take a closer look at them. Deal?"

Steve glared. But he sighed and nodded his head. Arguing would take too much energy.

"Now," the doctor stared at both of them. "The nurse will be in to dress your wound, Commander. Captain, if you would come with me, I'll point you in the direction of X-ray."

"Doc, I don't need—"

"Might as well check that nose while you're here, don't you think?"

"Yeah, Lou, don't you think?" Steve said and couldn't quite erase the vindictive gleam in his eye.

"I hate you."

"More and more like Danny every day…" Steve quipped while the doctor escorted Grover from the room.

**~~~H50~~~**

They finally escaped the ER later that morning. "Told you it wasn't broken," Lou remarked once again.

"Yeah, I heard you the first six times," Steve griped when they reached the truck and he waited for Lou to unlock the doors.

"Hang on," Lou said, reaching for his phone. "Grover."

"_Hey, it's Danny. I tried Steve's phone and I got voice mail. Then I couldn't get you. Everything OK?"_

"Uh, yeah, sure, everything's fine."

"_You don't sound very reassuring."_

"Well, we just came from Tripler's ER. Like we thought, Steve has the flu."

"Could'a told you that," Steve grumbled.

"_I'm glad you checked it out. How was last night?"_

"Yeah, he's good and we're heading home now," Grover replied, sidestepping the issue of "last night".

"_OK, we should be finished here around five, so I'll come by after I drop off Grace at her mother's. I hear a story in your voice."_

"Sounds good. Talk to you later." Grover ended the call and unlocked the truck's doors. "Danny will be by sometime after five," he told Steve.

"Fine," Steve said, climbing into the cab and tossing the bag of prescriptions on the console. "Turn left when you head out of the parking lot."

"Your house is to the right."

"Yeah, and the palace is toward the left. I need to see if Chin has discovered anything."

"Steve, give it a rest. You heard the doc… let your team take over on this one."

"I will," he said with a sigh, "but I need to talk to Chin first."

"Suit yourself," Grover muttered beneath his breath. "But if your sorry ass hits the deck, I'm gonna let you sleep it off where you land."

"Thank you. Not looking for any favors."

**~~~H50~~~**

As predicted, Chin was filtering through images on the computer table. He glanced up when he heard footsteps and stared at the two men in front of him.

"I hope the other two guys look worse," he told them as way of greeting.

"Yeah," Grover told him. "Your boss here has the flu, as diagnosed by a doctor at Tripler, yet he just had to come to work today."

Cool, calm and generally collected Chin shook his head, knowing that eventually he would get the full story as to why Grover's nose was three times its normal size and Steve had an extremely fat lip and a scraped cheek.

But right now, they still had a case to solve. His attention was drawn back to the photos he had been flipping through.

"What have you got, Chin?" Steve asked.

"Nothing, really. Kono is at HPD trying again to talk to our mechanic to see what else he might know. I had an email from the police chief in Bogota who knows of no such person as 'El Fantasma Blanco'. Right now, I'm going through photos to see if I can identify any of our suspects."

"Hang on," Steve said, reaching for his buzzing phone. Glancing at it, he told them, "This might be something; it's one of my Navy contacts." He leaned against the table and answered the phone. "Hey, Chuck, thanks for calling me back."

He listened and then replied, "Hang on, I'm going to put you on speaker. Can you repeat that so my team can hear? Guys, this is Commander Chuck Darcy."

"_Hey, what I was saying is that Interpol has been tracking a guy who likes to call himself a ghost but so far, they have nothing definitive. The name has popped up in Chile and also Paraguay and now Columbia."_

"That's odd," Chin said. "Bogota's chief of police told me he hasn't heard of anyone calling himself a ghost."

"_I've met that guy," _Chuck told them with a chuckle_**.**__ "He's as dirty as three-week old socks."_

"What do they know about this ghost?" Grover asked.

"_He's bad news. We don't have a photo of him and he has disappeared after every deal has been concluded. And when he leaves a town, all his cohorts end up dead. In Chile, he wiped out most of a community… women and children included. Of course, fear spreads like wildfire down there and the people have perpetuated this 'ghost' theory."_

"You don't have any prints or anything to go on?" Steve asked.

"_We have a couple of random prints from over the years, but nothing in the system to match them to. Not certain they are his or someone else."_

"We've got three men here we can't identify. Want to send the prints to see if we can get a match?" Chin asked.

"_Sure, that would be great," _Chuck said._ "Anything to find this guy."_

"He may be sitting in a cell here in Oahu," Steve told him.

Steve's phone dinged when the prints arrived.

"_I just sent them,"_ Chuck told them. "_And if he is in a cell, keep him there!"_

"Just a sec," Chin said and touched the screen to open up what prints they had to compare. "No match, no match and—" He enlarged both prints. "This one is a possible," he told them. "Left pinky finger has a scar running through it and so does the partial print you sent. Guys, we might be getting closer."

"But we still have no name," Steve said. He reached up and wiped sweat from his forehead and wiped his hand on his pants. A move that wasn't lost on Grover.

"_Hey, Steve, take me off speaker for a sec,"_ Chuck requested.

Steve shrugged at his team and reached for the phone. "Go ahead."

"_Remember a little incursion back in '05 when we went into Chile?"_

"Yeah, I remember," Steve replied.

"_That's the little village where all the rumors of the ghost began. And it was shortly after our visit. I wonder if we missed one."_

Steve began to pace the floor, thinking. "He knew who I was before he got here. In fact, he asked about me and my team," Steve admitted.

"_Be careful_," Chuck said. _"If this pans out to be a real person, he's bad news. And he may have you in his sights._"

"Yeah, I hear you," Steve replied. "Thanks for your help. We'll be in touch."

"_Likewise. Take care."_

Steve hung up the phone and then filled in vague details of the conversation to Grover and Chin, leaving out the location and what he and a SEAL team were doing in South America.

"So, what you're saying," Grover surmised. "Is that this SOB could have come gunning for you."

"Possibly," Steve admitted.

"Good thing we got him first," Lou commented, taking a closer look at his friend. "Steve, you look like crap. Chin, I'm taking Commander Flu Bug home."

"That sounds like a good idea. Steve, feel better. We'll keep you posted."

"You better," he complained, but both men noticed he didn't argue about going home.

They were heading toward the door when Chin's phone rang.

"Hey, Duke, how'zit? …. _**What?**_"

Steve and Grover turned around at the sound of Chin's shocked voice.

He looked at them, the phone still to his ear.

"The ghost has escaped."

**~~~H50~~~**


	6. Chapter 6

_**Kea akua lapu**_

_**Chapter 6**_

_**Just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone for reading. There are several guests who have reviewed and I do thank you even though I can't send you a reply. Also want to give a huge round of applause to Sam who makes these chapters so much better than my original writings. And for the last two chapters I have also had Sockie's help with the beta work. Welcome back, Sockie! Thanks to both of you!**_

_**~~~H50~~~**_

"_Hey, Duke…. __**What?**__"_

_Steve and Grover turned around at Chin's shocked voice. _

_He looked at them, the phone still to his ear._

"_The ghost has escaped."_

**_~~~H50~~~_**

"OK, who the hell is gonna tell me how this happened?" Danny bellowed.

"Jeez, Danno, take it down a notch or two," Steve pleaded while face planting into his open palm. He was sitting on the lanai with the rest of the team; Danny being the last to join them that afternoon.

Danny dropped into a vacant chair and ran his hands through his hair. "Seriously, how did this happen?"

Chin sighed and leaned back against the house. "He was found non-responsive in his cell. HPD called EMS for transport and during the ride he killed the technician, stole the key to the cuffs where he was chained to the gurney, and then killed the driver. He was left on the side of the road, shot to death. The bus and the tech were found in Waimea Canyon. No sign of the prisoner."

"Well, either he's up there hiding or someone picked him up," Grover said.

"HPD is combing the area now, but my guess is he had help," Chin replied.

"He had help," Steve agreed. "I would bet on it."

Danny leaned back and looked closely at Steve, noticing the dark circles under his eyes and the sheen of sweat on his forehead. "And you say this guy may be gunning for you?"

Steve turned toward his partner and grudgingly nodded. "It's possible. We were in the general vicinity back in '05 and… took out a drug ring. One could have gotten away although we didn't realize that at the time."

"I thought SEALS were anonymous. How'd he find you?" Danny asked.

Steve shrugged, then winced at the pain the movement caused. "There are ways."

"How're you feeling?" Danny asked. "Why don't you—"

"Do not tell me to go to bed," Steve shot back. "I've got a touch of the flu; I'm not on my deathbed."

"Yeah, well, no offense, Babe, but this 'touch' you have looks like it's got you in a choke hold and don't give me that look. But since you won't take care of yourself, do we have a plan here?"

They continued with their discussion but bottom line, it was determined that until the ghost was back in custody, regardless of what Steve thought, he had round-the-clock protection.

And that did not set well with Steve.

_**~~~H50~~~**_

"I'm going to take a shower," Steve mumbled to his two 'keepers' while slowly working his way out of his recliner. Danny and Lou had both refused to leave and no amount of talk would dissuade them. They had crashed in the living room with a game on TV but Steve had managed to doze through most of it. He was achy and felt hot, sweaty and grimy and decided a shower might help. He shuffled through the house toward the kitchen, hearing Danny's voice behind him.

"Hey, Babe, your shower's this way."

Steve returned to the living room carrying a roll of plastic wrap in his hand.

"Need any help?" Lou asked.

"I think I can handle it," Steve huffed, placing his foot on the stairs. He stopped, then turned back and removed the holster from his belt, setting it down on the side table. Steve glanced at Lou but turned and went upstairs without a word.

"Wanna tell me what that's all about?" Danny asked after watching the silent exchange.

Lou watched as Steve went upstairs, and slowly shook his head. "When I first met McGarrett, I never thought I'd say this, but I admire that man."

"Huh? Why's that?"

"What he just did was pretty amazing."

"He took off his service weapon. How's that amazing?" Danny asked, remaining clueless to the real meaning of Steve's actions.

"For two reasons," Lou replied. "First, without saying a word, he is trying to make sure that we are safe from him. He knows he's not firing on all cylinders and doesn't want another mishap like this morning."

Danny nodded, then asked, "And what's the second?"

"For the time being, Steve relinquished control of the situation to us. For someone who is used to being in charge, that's a big step. And it takes a big man to realize that."

"About this morning," Danny began. "Anything to add other than what Steve said earlier?"

Lou opened his mouth, then closed it, unsure where to begin. "Well, you've seen the kitchen. It all started when I glanced up to see a baseball bat aiming for my head." He sighed and slowly shook his head. "I think he pretty much covered the rest…"

**_~~~H50~~~_**

Steve only hesitated for a moment in the doorway of his bedroom. As the day progressed, he had come to fully realize that what he had experienced in there was just a nightmare… and although it was traumatic and ranked right up there with the worst he had ever had, it was over. He knew he needed to put it behind him and move on.

Someone, probably Lou, had been in and made the bed more presentable. At least the sheets and coverlet were back on top of the bed and not on the floor. Steve tossed the plastic on the bed and raised the hem of his tee shirt, hissing when the movement pulled on the healing wound in his side. Getting the shirt off, he tossed it onto the bed and tugged on his belt buckle.

The bed looked inviting. He stared at Catherine's pillow and wished her dark hair was spread across it and she was lying there waiting for him.

_But that's not happening, _he thought.

Steve sighed and put his knee on the bed, leaned over and reached for that pillow. He lay down on his stomach and bunched it beneath his head, breathing in the faint scent of her shampoo.

_A shower can wait_, he decided, closing his eyes and imagining Cath next to him.

_**~~~H50~~~**_

Danny let Grover's explanation sink in and then glanced upstairs. He got off the couch and said, "We should have heard water running by now. I'm gonna go see if he needs help."

He came back downstairs a couple of minutes later with a smile on his face.

"What's up?" Grover asked.

"He made it as far as the bed," Danny replied, plopping down on the couch and reaching for his beer. "Sound asleep lying across it, his arms wrapped around a pillow."

"Maybe he'll stay that way for a while."

The game went into double overtime and it was late before the two men turned off the TV and stretched. "Haven't heard anything from upstairs," Lou commented. "Think he's still OK?"

"He should be," Danny replied. "I know he took meds earlier, so maybe he'll sleep through the night. Are you ready to pack it in?" he asked, walking to the security panel next to the door. He punched in a code to ensure the system was fully operational.

"Hey, you mind telling me that code?" Lou asked. "In case I ever need it."

"It's Star 2284 to set it and 2284 Star to disarm it. Easy peasy."

"Got it… 2284."

"In case you forget," Danny told him, "The 2284 is C-A-T-H. Just don't tell Steve you know what it stands for."

"Your secret is safe," Lou said around a yawn. He winced when the yawn caused his tender nose to start hurting again. "I sure hope tomorrow begins a lot calmer than today did."

Danny tossed a pillow at the other man. "Yeah, me, too. And we'd better find this crazy SOB."

_**~~~H50~~~**_

Steve half-way woke up sometime in the middle of the night, shivering in the night breeze from the open window. He sat on the side of the bed and grabbed his aching head in both hands to try to keep the dizziness at bay. He was conscious enough to know that standing would not be a good idea, so by scooting around… and a lot of under-breath swearing, he managed to turn himself around and climb beneath the covers. He lay there with his teeth chattering and goose bumps on his sweat-slickened flesh.

Steve's head was pounding and even though he was freezing, his side felt on fire with sharp pains pulsating deep inside it. He was queasy but he knew there was nothing in his stomach to come up; he also knew that the way the room was tilting, if he had to get up, he would never reach the bathroom.

_Maybe I should call Danny or Lou… Nah, what can they do? You've got the damn flu. Doc said it had to run its course. Dizzy… go back to sleep and wait for morn…_

_**~~~H50~~~**_

Lou heard noises from upstairs and decided to check it out. Just in case Steve was having another nightmare. But when he looked into the room, he found that Steve had gotten under the cover and appeared to be fast asleep. He waited for a few moments and after seeing no movement other than steady breathing, he turned and went back downstairs to the couch.

"He OK?" Danny asked quietly from the other side of the room.

"Yeah, sleeping like a baby," Lou assured him. "I thought I heard him but I guess he just crawled under the covers."

"Good. Hopefully he's turning a corner with the flu bug."

"Yeah, hope so," Lou said, settling back down.

_**~~~H50~~~**_

The calm was short-lived and Grover and Danny both jerked awake half an hour later after a crash in the bedroom. They jumped up and raced up the stairs, stopping in the open doorway. The drawer of the night stand was pulled out onto the floor with its contents strewn about. Steve was standing in front of the chest with the top drawer open, tossing items to the floor.

"Steve! Hey, what's going on?" Danny asked.

"Where is it?" Steve shouted. "Lou, what the hell did you do with it?"

"Hold on here, Steve," Grover said, moving to stand next to his friend. "What'cha looking for?"

"My SIG. You had it… where is it? I've got to go after him."

"Hey," Danny said, trying to get Steve's attention away from tossing the drawer. "Who're you going after?"

"The ghost. He killed my dad."

Grover took Steve's wrists and stopped him from dumping the second drawer of the chest. "Let's go sit down. Come on."

Steve tried to jerk away. "No, I need—"

"You need to sit down," Lou said forcefully. "Let's go." He turned him and propelled the sick man toward the bed. "Steve, think about it," he said once Steve was seated. "Your dad's been gone for what – three, four years?"

"No, he was downstairs," Steve argued, starting to stand up once again; a move that was stopped by Grover's hands on his shoulders. "In the dining room." He stopped and took a deep breath. "I watched the whole thing…" He looked up and stared at his friend, silently pleading with him to listen. "I was there. The ghost. He killed my dad. He killed him because of me."

"Steve," Danny said, sitting down on the bed next to Steve. "Think about it. Victor Hesse killed your dad. That was a long time ago. It didn't happen tonight," he quietly added. "There's no one here other than you, me and Grover.

"But I saw—"

"Hey, it was a nightmare. Just a dream."

"No!" Steve turned to face Danny. "It was real. I swear-"

Grover came from the bathroom with a small Dixie® cup of water and a wet washcloth. "Here, drink this, Steve. Your fever is higher. Let's cool you off."

Steve looked up at his friend and reached for the cup with a shaking hand and downed it in one swallow. "Did you check the house?"

Danny stood up. "I'll go check now, but remember both me and Lou were down there. We would have heard something."

Steve shook his head in agreement and reached for the wet rag, swiping it over his face. "Yeah, you're right. But… I swear, it was so real." He held the rag in his hands and dropped his head into them. "What time is it?" was mumbled into the washcloth.

"About three," Lou told him. "Enough time to get more shut-eye. You feeling any better?"

"I guess," Steve lied and laid back down. "Still hot and achy."

"I'm betting you'll feel better in the morning," Lou predicted. "Do you need anything else?"

Steve shook his head, his eyes already drifting shut. "Sorry."

"Hey," Grover told him. "Stop with the apologizing, you hear me?"

He glanced at his friend who was again sprawled on the bed and knew he hadn't heard a word.

Danny was picking up clothing and tossing it back into the drawer, then closed it. Lou did the same and quickly replaced the contents of the bedside table before they went back downstairs, hoping to get some uninterrupted sleep.

_**~~~H50~~~**_

"_You're dead and don't even know it", _the voice said with a low chuckle. _ Can't believe you're hanging on… WHY are you not dead? … Guess I'm gonna need to help you along… even though this isn't the way I do business …"_

Something pulled Steve from his fevered sleep and he jerked awake. He lay there on his back waiting for the overwhelming nausea and pounding headache to subside. He tried to suck in air but that only brought on more nausea and the feeling of bile pushing up his esophagus.

Steve rolled to his right side knowing that something was going to come up soon. And he really wasn't looking forward to it. A flash of movement caught his eye and he blinked, trying to see who was there.

_Danny?_ He tried to speak but knew he was going to gag and leaned over the side of the bed and retched. Steve felt the dip in the bed and was grateful someone at least knew he was sick. Not that Danny could do anything about it, but still… it was comforting.

That is until his shoulder was grabbed and he was roughly pushed onto his back. Steve groaned when the movement caused the feeling of an ice pick stabbing into his side. He blinked, trying to clear his vision and was shocked to realize the "ghost" was bending over him.

"_I told you to have a nice life. I hope you listened…"_

A millisecond later, his face was covered by the pillow.

His reflexes were compromised, yet he immediately bucked up, trying to push his tormenter off the bed. That movement was useless and the pillow was pushed harder against his face. He couldn't breathe and already could see stars behind his closed eyes.

Steve's left hand was wrapped around his captor's wrist and he tried to twist it while lashing out with his right hand but his actions were wild and uncoordinated and he missed his target. Knowing he would pass out any second, he threw his arm to the side and managed to shove the small table next to his bed. The sudden movement caused the lamp to topple and hit the floor.

And suddenly he was free to suck in fresh air.

_**~~~H50~~~**_

Danny and Lou both bolted upright; they had managed to fall back to sleep after their last wake up call. "Steve!" Danny shouted while untangling his legs from the afghan on the couch. Both men bolted toward the staircase, Lou edging ahead to race up the steps. He rushed into the bedroom, Danny right on his heels, peering around him.

The bed was empty. Like the previous morning, it was in shambles, but Steve wasn't present.

The balcony door was open and they raced outside. The sun was just beginning to light the sky and in the shadows of early morning, they found Steve on the upper lanai, down on his hands and knees, dry heaving. They pushed aside upturned chairs to reach him.

"Steve, what the hell you are doing out here?" Grover asked, dropping to his knees by his friend.

Steve sucked in a ragged breath and looked up, then pointed over the side of the rail. "He was here," he panted out and sat down against the railing.

"Who was here?" Danny asked loudly from Steve's other side. "And why'd the hell did you open the door?"

"Didn't," Steve shakily pointed toward the side of the house. "The… ghost." He coughed and began gagging again, turning to the side to throw up while Danny quickly jumped out of the way. With a shaky hand he wiped his mouth. "Went over the rail."

"What?" Danny looked over the railing, seeing nothing out of the ordinary. Much less evidence of someone either having climbed down or jumping from the lanai. He then walked back to his partner and up-righted one of the chairs. "Steve, here, sit down," he urged, and he and Grover helped Steve move off the lanai and into the chair. "Now, tell us what happened."

Steve took another deep breath and held his hand to his side, wincing in pain at the movement. "Something woke me up. A voice." He shook his head. "Knew I was gonna be sick so I rolled over. Opened my eyes and I saw him… stuffed a pillow in my face and I couldn't breathe."

He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, his aching head held in the palms of his hands. Wiping sweat from his forehead, he added, "I don't know… somehow, I got him off me. He ran… and I tried to chase him. Couldn't…" Steve shivered in the early morning air. "Too dizzy to follow him."

Lou and Danny made eye contact over Steve's head, skepticism at the story on both of their faces.

"You're shivering," Lou said, hooking his hand around Steve's biceps and with Danny's help managed to pull him out of the chair. "Let's go back inside."

Steve stumbled to the bed and sat down, wrapping one arm around his middle. "Danny, you need to put out a bolo. Go… I'm good. Call Chin." He fell sideways onto the pillow, panting like he had run a race. "Gonna lie here a few minutes and then I'll get a shower. We gotta get this bastard."

Danny looked at Steve, then at Grover who was examining the door to the lanai before he closed it.

"Yeah, we'll get… ah… CSU in to dust for prints. I'll make some calls."

"Good," Steve said and then groaned, holding his stomach again. "Man, the flu sucks. Never had a case like this."

"Hey, I'm gonna get those pills and bring you some water," Grover said, motioning for Danny to leave with him. "Be right back."

Once out of earshot, Danny turned to Lou. "So, how do we handle this? Last time, we convinced him it was a dream. This time, he's pretty sure he was attacked."

Lou shook his head. "There's no sign of anyone else in the room, but it wouldn't hurt to have CSU take a look."

"Why? Lou, come on, you don't believe that, do you? No one has been here. We would have heard-"

"Maybe," Grover conceded, but turned to Danny when he reached the bottom of the stairs. He pointed to the panel on the wall next to the door. "I watched you set that alarm. How'd that door get open without either of us hearing it?"

_**~~~H50~~~**_


	7. Chapter 7

_**Chapter 7**_

_**(Monday morning)**_

Steve took his empty oatmeal bowl to the sink and rinsed it. He had slept until after nine that morning and the sleep, followed by a shower, had done wonders for him. He no longer felt like he was burning up and the headache was almost non-existent. He turned when Danny entered the kitchen.

"Hey, you look like you feel better."

"Yeah, I do," Steve told his partner. "I feel almost human again. What'd they find?" he asked, nodding toward the upstairs.

"CSU is loading up now but they didn't find any unidentifiable prints. Just the usual… your's, mine, Lou's and… Catherine's."

Steve sucked in a breath at the mention of her name, but nodded while wiping his hands on a towel. "So, he wore gloves. That's not surprising."

"Yeah," Danny nodded, quickly looking away.

"Look, Danny," Steve cautiously said. "I know you don't believe me—"

"I didn't say that," Danny quickly disputed.

Steve leaned into the counter and crossed his arms. "You don't have to say it," he said, shaking his head, the hurt showing in his voice. "It's in your face. The disbelief, that is. And… I get it, I haven't been the most stable person the last couple of days. But I'm telling you, he was there. It was real," Steve said with conviction. He would stake his life on it.

Danny crossed the room and finally looked Steve in the eyes. "Steve, I want to believe you, you've got to know I do, but this is a lot like the first dream. And, honestly, a part of me hopes it _**was**_ a dream. I don't want to believe someone got to your bedroom with Grover and me down here."

Their conversation was cut off when Chin and Grover returned from outside.

"Well?" Steve questioned.

Chin shook his head. "It's weird. Power has been cut—"

"See," Steve said. "Told you."

"But…" Lou interjected.

He looked at Steve and shook his head and Steve knew his next statement wasn't going to be good.

"We saw a van from the security company in the drive next door, so I went over and talked to them. The power to your neighbors' alarm was cut, too. So, this could just be a burglary gone bad. You may have scared the socks off a cat burglar."

"Lou, I saw him."

Grover hesitated while forming an answer. "Steve, I—"

"Forget it. It doesn't matter," Steve told them, walking toward the front of the house. "Listen, it's late," he told them in a louder voice. "You guys need to go see if Kono has found out anything this morning. I'll be in later… there's something I want to do before I head to work."

They listened to Steve heading up the stairs, Danny finally saying, "I think that went well."

Chin shook his head. "You do know that he could be right, don't you?"

"So you believe it was this ghost guy?" Danny asked. "If there was anyone there in the first place," he added under his breath.

"I didn't say that," Chin hedged. "But it's possible."

"I am heavily leaning in that direction," Lou told them.

"On what basis?" Danny asked irritated. "He wouldn't have had any reason to mess with the neighbor's house."

"It could have been a practice, or he could have done it to move suspicion away from himself, who knows? But before, when Steve has had one of these spells, or whatever you call it, we could talk him down and he realized the events weren't real. This time, he's sure the guy was here," Lou explained.

"And he's positive of what he saw," Chin agreed.

"Yeah," Danny sighed. "And that's what really scares me."

Chin looked at his colleague, but decided not to comment on that implication. "Hey, if you don't need me, I'm going to head back to work and see what's going on there."

"Yeah, we need to find this guy," Danny agreed.

"Would you mind if I hang tight for a while?" Grover asked. "I'm interested in seeing what McGarrett's plan is."

"You would do that?" Danny asked. "I've got a lead I need to check on."

"Don't mind at all," Lou assured them. "I'd feel a lot better knowing he's doing OK."

"Me, too," Danny admitted. "Thanks."

_**~~~H50~~~**_

"Hey, Steve, we're heading out," Danny said, standing in Steve's doorway where his friend was finishing getting ready for work. "Everything OK?"

"Yeah," Steve assured him, reaching for his badge. He looked around and realized that his weapon still wasn't in his possession. "I'll be in by noon," Steve told him. "There's… uh, an appointment I want to make."

"Sure, anything I can help with?"

"No," Steve said in a clipped voice. "I'm capable of taking care of it myself. I'll see you later."

Steve listened to the sounds of car doors slamming and the cars leaving his driveway. Only then did he head downstairs, checking for his SIG as he walked through the house.

"Looking for this?" Grover asked when Steve walked through the doorway.

"Shit, Lou, I could'a killed you."

Lou handed the gun to him. "Well, at least you wouldn't have shot me."

"Very funny. Why are you still here?" Steve asked while clipping the holster to his belt.

"Thought I'd ride shotgun today."

"Really?" Steve asked, skepticism dripping in his tone. "That doesn't sound like you."

"Yeah, well, let's just say I'm cautious." He shook his head and admitted, "Look, I'm not trying to be Debbie Downer or nothing, but while you may feel better today, I'd feel better if someone stayed close."

"And you got the short straw?"

"Nope," Lou quickly replied. "I volunteered. And… I'm not dismissing that the ghost man might have been here either," Grover added. "So… where we going?"

Steve looked at his friend and saw the sincerity in his reply before glancing away. "I was… thought I might go to another group meeting," he said quietly.

Grover nodded. "I think that's a very smart thing to do. Would you mind if I tagged along?" He held up his hands and added, "If you don't want me there, I'll stay outside, but I'd kinda like to get a feel for it. Never know when something like that might come in handy."

Steve slowly shook his head. "No, I don't mind. But I'm driving."

"Yeah, yeah. I did say 'shotgun'," Grover grumbled.

"And the name fits," Steve told him while heading toward the door.

"What name?"

"Debbie," Steve said with a grin and realized it felt good to feel normal again.

**~~~H50~~~**

"I'm impressed," Grover said as the two men returned to the truck following the group meeting.

"Yeah, it's pretty good," Steve admitted. "Of course, I can only grab meetings at odd times, but so far, the ones I've attended have been good. Lots of interaction."

"Yeah," Lou said and nodded. "The stories are all different, but there's always that common thread running throughout. It's great to see good people seeking help."

Steve sat behind the wheel in thought. "Yeah, but it's hard to talk when you know a lot of guys have it way worse than you do."

"Maybe," Grover agreed. "But you never know… you might say something that would really hit home with someone else."

"Yeah, maybe," Steve replied and reached up and massaged the back of his neck.

"You OK?"

Steve sighed. "Yeah, that damn headache is coming back. I thought I was over this stuff."

"Want me to drive?"

Steve quickly started the truck. "Nice try," he said with a grin.

~~~H50~~~~

Steve's phone rang the moment they entered the bullpen. "McGarrett."

"_Commander, it's Dr. Rosen. How are you feeling?"_

"Better, thanks, Doc. Almost back to normal."

"_Commander, I have your blood work back and I need you to come to the ER to discuss the findings."_

"I'm sorry, but we're in the middle of a—"

"_Steve, this can't wait," Rosen interrupted. "I need to see both you and your team in here ASAP."_

"Doc? What's wrong?"

Danny looked at Steve, motioning that he wanted to hear the conversation. Steve shook his head and waited for the doctor's reply.

"_I would rather discuss this once you arrive," the doctor hedged._

"And I would prefer to discuss it now. What is going on?"

"_Commander, have you been outside the country in the last few months?"_

"Ah… yes. Afghanistan, about four months ago."

"_Were you in close contact with any of the locals there?" Rosen asked. _

Close contact? Steve closed his eyes and tried to control the shudder that passed through his body at the memories his capture brought to mind. "You could say that," he finally managed to reply. "And now I'll ask again… why?"

"_Steve, I need you to come in immediately. Your lab results show a foreign substance in your blood stream. So far, we haven't identified it, but it is imperative that you are seen here… along with the rest of your team. I've called in an infectious disease specialist to-"_

"Doc, I can't ask—"

Danny was again in front of him and pantomimed "What?" in Steve's face.

Steve sighed and rubbed his aching head, deciding it would be too difficult to even explain the doctor's request. "Hang on I'm putting you on speaker." He set the phone down on the computer.

"Hey, Doc, it's Danny Williams. What's the problem?"

"_The test results show a foreign substance in Commander McGarrett's bloodstream. Until we figure out what it is and where it came from, I need him here. And I need you and everyone he's been in contact with… at least over the weekend after he exhibited symptoms… to come in for blood tests."_

Danny glanced at both Chin and Lou's shocked faces and then looked at Steve who looked very put out.

"Doc, I feel better, but if it will make you happy, I'll go home and stay—"

"_No, you don't understand," the doctor again interrupted. "If this is something you picked up overseas, we need to identify it. I'm going to need more samples from you and I'll also take blood from your team members to ensure they haven't been infected. I am making arrangements on this end and I expect to see you within the hour."_

"Doc—"

"_Commander, I don't want to make this an order but I can call someone to escort you if need be."_

"I'll be there," Steve tersely replied.

"_Thank you. And I'm sorry, but we are only following dictated protocol. I'll be waiting for you in__ the__ ER."_

Steve picked up his phone and looked at his team. "Sorry, guys. I feel like Ground Zero."

"No worries," Chin told him. "I'll call Kono and swing by and pick her up. Meet you guys there."

**~~~H50~~~**

The emergency room at Tripler was prepared when Lou, Danny and Steve pulled into the parking lot. Dr. Rosen met them near the entrance and pointed to a single glass door marked 'Employees Only'. "Let's go in this way," he told them.

"Doc, is all this really necessary?" Steve asked.

"Please bear with me, Commander," the doctor replied, opening the door. "But to answer your question, yes, it is very necessary."

Two women in yellow disposable gowns and face masks quickly escorted Danny and Lou into a room to the left of the hallway in a sectioned off area of the ER. Steve was given a mask by another nurse while Rosen donned both a mask and gown. The doctor pointed to the mask in Steve's hand. "Commander, please comply. Until we can figure out what this is, you need to be in quarantine."

"And you chose to leave out that bit of information over the phone?"

"Am I wrong to consider you a flight risk?"

Steve only glared at him while placing the loops from the mask around his ears.

"We'll make this as painless as possible," the nurse told him while escorting Steve to an isolation room on the right of the corridor.

"You're not gonna make my team stay, are you?" he asked.

"No, but we're going to test their blood stat. Now, please hop up on the gurney. First, I'll need some blood and then you can give me some specimens of another nature…"

Steve was still seated on the gurney forty-five minutes later when he was joined by his team… all wearing disposable gowns and masks. He looked up at Danny's voice.

"Hey!"

Steve didn't answer, but the glare in his eyes was enough for them to know he was not the happiest camper around.

"So, what's happening?" Lou asked.

Steve held up both arms that had been pricked; the crook of his right elbow was covered with a taped gauze square and the left still had tubing attached. "That's for when they need more blood," he informed them. "I've also had to spit in a cup, pee in a cup and she stuck a Q-tip the size of a spoon down my throat for a culture. It's been fun," he told them with a growl. "And I hate this mask!" he added.

Kono pointed to her yellow gown. "Why aren't you wearing one of these lovely fashion statements?" she asked.

Dr. Rosen entered the room with another doctor, answering for him. "You have sterile gowns and masks to keep from passing anything to Steve," he told them. "His mask is to keep him from passing anything to you. And the good news is that preliminary results from your blood samples all look clean. Naturally we will continue to culture, but there appears to be no anomalies. I would like to introduce you to Captain Hwang. He is head of our Infectious Disease Department."

"Hello. Commander, I'm sorry we are meeting under these circumstances."

"Yeah, me, too," Steve all but growled. "So, my team can go?"

"Yes, they can. And soon we will have a room available for you," the captain told him. "One visitor at a time and you'll need to continue with the isolation protocol."

"Well, since I am stuck here, they have work to do," Steve said, pointedly looking at his team. "You've got to find this guy before he kills again, so you should probably get busy."

"Hold on a minute," Grover said, looking at the others for confirmation. "Doc, I understand all your procedures, but we've got a real crazy fugitive who may be looking for Steve. We… as in law enforcement… need to establish some rules too."

"Absolutely," Chin agreed. "Guard on the door at all times. ID's on anyone who enters the room. It's standard police SOP."

Dr. Rosen shook his head. "This is going to be difficult with our quarantine procedures—"

"Maybe so," Danny agreed. "But that's the way it's going to be. In addition, one of us will also be here as much as possible. That's _**our**_ protocol."

**~~~H50~~~**

Chin had 'first watch' as he called it and was seated in the window seat/day bed of Steve's room. The hospital had designated a corner room in the general medical wing as the room for quarantine. The team didn't like the location as it was far from the nurse's station and too close to the emergency stairway, but the doctors insisted that it needed to be away from the other patients. The only plus to the location was that the officer seated outside the door could see the entire hallway.

The detective glanced at Steve over the top of his iPad. His friend was lying on top of the bed, still fully clothed, scrolling through his phone. Danny had promised to drop by the house to pick up some sleepwear because Steve had been adamant that he wasn't wearing one of those gowns when he wasn't sick.

"How're you doing, Brah?"

Steve sighed and tossed his phone on the bed. "You probably don't want me to answer that," he admitted. "I could sit at home and do the same thing as here… or at least try to get some work done." He reached for the phone. "Danny knows to bring the laptop, doesn't he?"

"I sent him a text," Chin assured him. "Steve, just relax. You'll be out of here soon."

"Come on, Chin," Steve argued, running his hand through his hair, causing it to stand on end. "I can't just sit here doing nothing. You know that. I mean, they even have to keep the door closed. I'm gonna go crazy locked up in here."

His rant was interrupted by the door opening. "Good afternoon, Commander. I surely hope we don't make you crazy. My name is Lizzy and I promise to take good care of you."

The petite nurse was dressed in gown and mask and Steve's first impression was that she might have been in Grace's class at school. If she was that old. Her black hair was pulled back in a ponytail with a pink ribbon tied around it and her eyes danced when she smiled beneath the mask.

"I'm here to get your vitals," she told him and pulled her small cart near the bed. "How are you feeling?"

He wanted so badly to give her a snarky reply. But looking at her, he didn't want to say anything nasty to a minor. "I'm fine," he told her in a clipped voice. "I think the doctor is overly cautious in keeping me here." He paused while she affixed the blood pressure cuff around his arm and turned it on.

"Dr. Hwang is very thorough," Lizzy told him and placed a pulse ox on his finger. "When I finish your vitals, I'll help you into a gown. The doctor has ordered an IV and he wants an EKG as well."

"He said I could wear my own clothes," Steve hastily told her. "And until they come, I'm good with this. You can't help me change. I mean, is this your job after school?"

Chin watched the exchange and smiled. He didn't know who was going to back down first. But this could be very entertaining.

Lizzy stared at Steve in silence. She reached under the gown and pulled out her ID badge which was attached to a lanyard around her neck. "If you look closely, you'll see there's an RN attached to the end of my name," she replied, a tad bit sarcastically. "This isn't a Candy Striper job for after school. I have been on staff for two years."

Steve swallowed. "Oh. Sorry." He cut a glance at Chin and decided it would be best just to shut up.

Lizzy reached for the aural thermometer and sighed and shook her head. "Don't be sorry… everyone thinks it." She grinned and added, "Only most people have the grace not to mention the fact that I look like I'm still in high school. Let me get your temp."

Steve waited until the instrument beeped and looked sheepishly at her. "Actually, I had you pegged for twelve."

"I officially hate you," she told him with a grin. She then glanced at the chart on the tray. "How are you feeling really?" she asked. "In the ER, your temp was 99.7. It is now up to 100.8. Anything else going on you need to tell me?"

He shook his head. "I still have a headache, but that has been ongoing. Just the achiness I've had since this thing started. Are they sure it isn't just the flu like Dr. Rosen thought at first?"

She shook her head. "They are pretty certain there's something else going on. Don't worry, Dr. Hwang will figure this out."

"Soon, I hope. I've got a job to do."

"So do I," Lizzy replied. "How about I let you keep the pants for now, but you come out of the tee shirt?" She picked up the hospital gown from the chair and tossed it on the bed. "I'll be back in a few minutes with the IV and the heart monitor."

Chin managed not to chuckle until the door was closed behind Lizzy.

"What?" Steve growled.

"I can't believe you actually told her you thought she was twelve."

Steve threw his hands in the air. "Tell me she doesn't look like she and Gracie could be best friends."

"I agree," Chin replied. "But as Confucius say: 'Not easy to run with one foot in mouth'."

Steve leaned back on the pillow. "Yeah, what does he know?"

~~~H50~~~  
>Steve had managed to finally doze off after dinner time. Chin was gone and Danny was in place after having brought Steve's things from home. He was surprised to find him in a hospital gown, but when he asked why, Steve's glare quickly shut him up. Chin had only smiled and shook his head.<p>

Danny jumped up when Steve's phone began to ring. He hoped to grab it before Steve woke up, but he wasn't quick enough.

Steve awoke with a jerk and reached for the phone. He took a deep breath and answered, "Hey, Chuck."

"_Got some news for you, Steve. I've been doing some digging."_

"Good, what'd you find?"

"_I've been pouring over all of our old Intel from '05. One of the guys we neutralized was Jorge Mendez. He had an older brother, Juan Mendez, living in Santiago. At the time—" what's so funny_, he asked.

"Nothing," Steve replied with a chuckle. "Just that my team has been calling this guy "Juan Doe" since he was booked. Go ahead."

Danny moved closer to the bed and motioned to put the phone on speaker.

Steve shook his head, knowing that some of what Chuck was telling him was still classified information.

"_Well, at the time, we had no Intel on him and there was no reason to connect him to the drug cartel, but in looking more closely, he was probably running the same thing in that city. He was just good enough not to get caught."_

"What do we have on him since that time?"

"_Pretty much squat. He attended Jorge's funeral… we know that because we still had eyes in the area… and once he made it back to Santiago, he goes off grid. I've got a grainy photo of the funeral that I can send to you. Maybe you can ID the mystery person in your lock up."_

"Yeah… about that," Steve began.

"_What's wrong?"_ Chuck quickly asked.

"He escaped."

"_Shit,"_ the SEAL muttered. _"And he hasn't been caught? You need to watch your back."_

"I am," Steve said. "And trust me," he added, glaring at Danny who was still hovering, "my team won't let me out of their sight."

"_That's good to know,"_ his friend told him. _"Keep me updated. I feel I have a stake in this."_

"Will do. Thanks, Chuck."

"_The photo's on its way. Talk to you soon."_

"NOW can you tell me what the hell that was all about?" Danny asked. "Why didn't you put him on speaker?"

"Danny," Steve said with a sigh. "It was—"

"classified," they finished together.

Steve's phone dinged and he checked out the photo, hoping that Chin could clean it up some. In it, two men were standing next to a gravesite and at first glance one looked suspiciously like a younger version of the man Steve arrested on Friday. He held it out to Danny for confirmation. "That's him, right?"

"Yeah, that's him. Why did you laugh on the phone earlier?"

"His name really is Juan," Steve replied. "Juan Mendez. See what Chin can find out on him. He's been off grid for several years."

"Chin will find him," Danny replied. "Just give him time."

**~~~H50~~~**

Lizzy entered the room for Steve's eight o'clock check and found him dozing. Danny finished a text to Grace and moved toward her trying not to wake his partner.

She looked at the dinner tray which had barely been touched. "I take it he doesn't like hospital food," she whispered.

"He hasn't eaten much of anything all weekend," Danny told her. "And what he eats, he upchucks."

"He can hear you," Steve grumbled, wiping the sleep from his eyes. "Do you have to tell everything you know?"

Danny held out his hands. "Just trying to make sure she knows what's going on with you. No need to shoot the messenger."

"Is there anything you feel like eating?" Lizzy asked him. "If there is, I'll get it."

Steve shook his head, wincing at the pain the movement caused. With a sheepish look, he admitted, "I don't think anything would stay down right now."

"Sounds like a dose of Phenergan is in order. I'll have the doctor write the order. Now, let me get these checks." She was quiet while making notations but when she was finished, she told him, "I'm going to call him for more med orders. Your temp is up to 101.9. How's your headache? "

"Still there," he admitted with a frustrated sigh.

**~~~H50~~~**

Grover opened the door a few minutes after ten, peering around it to see who was there and what was going on. Lizzy was next to the bed and Steve appeared to be sleeping so he eased in to speak to Danny. "You ready to hit the road? I can stay the night."

"You didn't have to get here this early," Danny told him. "I'm good."

"Family was headed to bed so I thought I would come on over. Talked to Chin. He's still trying to track down Mendez. So far, we don't have anything."

"Yeah, I know."

Grover nodded toward the bed. "How's he doing?"

Danny followed his gaze. "His fever's up even though they are giving him something for it," he nodded toward the IV, which now had three bags of fluids instead of the one from earlier." He moved closer to Lizzy who had again checked Steve's temp, without him even flinching. "Is it any better?" he asked.

She glanced at the two men and shook her head. "102.6," she said. "Meds aren't keeping it down at all. I'm going to get some cooling packs soon."

Danny nodded. "Lizzy, this is Lou Grover. He'll be spending the night."

"Nice to meet you, Sir. We'll be seeing a lot of each other."

Lou nodded to her and then asked, "Can I bring you anything? I'm going to grab a cup of coffee downstairs. Danny, want to go with me?"

Danny looked at Lizzy. "Want anything?"

"No, thanks, I'm good, but go on. We'll be fine. I'm just going to grab some cool packs from the nurses' station and I'll be right back."

"OK, I'll be back in fifteen," Grover told her as he and Danny walked out the door.

**~~~H50~~~  
><strong>Steve's dinner tray had been setting outside the door since earlier in the evening. On her way to the station, Lizzy reached down and picked it up, knocking over the glass of juice. The guard grabbed for the tray trying to over-correct her stance and the tray upended, plate, silverware, glass and food landing on the floor in a clatter.

"I am so sorry," the officer told her.

"No, it was my fault," she assured him. "Let me call for help to get this cleaned up. I'll be right back."

**~~~H50~~~**

_He heard, more than felt the crash. _

_Steve awoke with a start and realized he was lying flat on his back. Something was over his face and he managed to swipe it away while sitting up. _

_Must've hit my head, he thought, while trying to clear the cobwebs from it. The heat was unbearable and he saw the first flames licking the middle truck in their convoy. All three vehicles had been damaged when the second one had taken a direct hit. Steve wiped sweat from his brow and knew he needed to get closer. He had to save his men. _

_He felt a pull on his arm and jerked away, managing to break free from whatever he was caught on. He moved closer, feeling the heat rise. He didn't see anyone; maybe they had all escaped. But where were they? It was dark and other than the rising flames, there was no one in the area._

_What the hell? he thought. He then heard a pop and a hiss and realized the fire had traveled to the gas tank. There wasn't much time to get out of there._

"_Steve! What are you doing?"_

_He felt someone tug on his arm and glanced around. He squinted, his eyes watering in the heat._

"_Catherine? You've got to get out of here. It's gonna blow."_

_He pushed her backward, trying to get away before the gas tank blew. "You shouldn't be here!" he told her, launching them both across the room. He turned as they fell, trying to keep from landing on her as they hit the hard ground._

_He heard the explosion and felt the heat as his world exploded in a flash of color._

_**~~~H50~~~**_

_**If you want to read additional stories, please check out whump2go dot wordpress dot com. There you can read Sam's "Twist of Fate" and our Season 5 episodic stories. The Coda to Episode 5.05 will soon be available. It is entitled "Reflection". Please check out the blog and let us know what you think!**_


	8. Chapter 8

_**Kea akua lapu**_

_**Chapter 8**_

_**I just wanted to thank everyone for your kind comments and reviews and for the interest in this story. So glad you are sticking with it and seem to like where we are headed. (If you have figured out where we're headed, drop me a line... sometimes I'm not so sure. :) ) Thanks to you all. And once again, Sam has gone above and beyond in her beta skills. Thank you, my friend for all that you do.**_

_**~~~H50~~~**_

_He heard, more than felt the crash. _

_Steve awoke with a start and realized he was lying flat on his back. Something was over his face and he managed to swipe it away while sitting up. _

_Must've hit my head, he thought, while trying to clear the cobwebs from it. The heat was unbearable and he saw the first flames licking the middle truck in their convoy. All three vehicles had been damaged when the second one had taken a direct hit. Steve wiped sweat from his brow and knew he needed to get closer. He had to save his men. _

_He felt a pull on his arm and jerked away, managing to break free from whatever he was caught on. He moved closer, feeling the heat rise. He didn't see anyone; maybe they had all escaped. But where were they? It was dark and other than the rising flames, there was no one in the area._

_What the hell? he thought. He then heard a pop and a hiss and realized the fire had traveled to the gas tank. There wasn't much time to get out of there._

"_Steve! What are you doing?"_

_He felt someone tug on his arm and glanced around. He squinted, his eyes watering in the heat._

"_Catherine? You've got to get out of here. It's gonna blow."_

_Steve pushed her backward, trying to get away before the gas tank blew. "You shouldn't be here!" he told her, launching them both across the room. He turned as they fell, trying to keep from landing on her as they hit the hard ground._

_Steve heard the explosion and felt the heat as his world exploded in a flash of color._

_**~~~H50~~~**_

"—mander? Steve, can you hear me?"

He heard the female voice but it sounded far away. He knew the person was talking to him, but the words were all jumbled.

"Steve! Can. You. Hear. Me?"

"Um… yeah." He knew he should open his eyes and take stock of his surroundings but he worried his head might explode if he did. So, he waited, trying to make out what the voice in the background was saying.

_**~~~H50~~~**_

The guard had opened the door, but hesitated going into the room after receiving strict orders from the doctor and nurse _**not**_ to enter.

"What can I do?" he asked, finding Lizzy and Steve on the floor on the other side of the bed. All he saw of Steve were his legs and bare feet.

"Please stay back," Lizzy told him. "But have an orderly suit up and get in here and ask someone at the desk to call Dr. Hwang. If he isn't here, get Dr. Rosen."

"Yes, ma—"

He was cut off by Grover who returned with his coffee. "What the hell happened?" he asked, setting his coffee down outside and rushing into the room.

Steve was on his back on the floor and appeared to be unconscious and bleeding from a cut at his hairline. Lizzy was next to him trying to push aside the IV pole that was on top of both of them. She was also using her paper gown to apply pressure to his inner elbow that was bleeding where he had pulled out the IV.

"You should've suited up before coming in," Lizzy told Grover when he stepped closer.

"Hey, I was with Steve all weekend. I'll suit up later," he told her while pulling the pole and the infusion pump off of them. "Is he OK?" Grover asked as he worriedly looked at his downed friend.

Lizzy managed to get to her knees and leaned over her patient. "He answered me earlier. Commander, can you hear me?" She asked and gently laid her free hand on his cheek.

Steve flinched when he heard her voice in his ear and felt the touch on his face.

"Wha… 'appened?"

She glanced at Grover, then back to her patient. "What do you remember?"

Steve thought for a moment, then replied, "Explosion… and fire. Cath was here… no, not Cath." He reached his hand up to touch his head. "Head hurts."

Lizzy reached for his hand and placed it on his chest, looking up when an orderly and a nurse entered. "Dr. Hwang is on his way," the nurse told them. "What can we do?"

"I'd rather the doctor check him over before we move him," Lizzy told them as she checked Steve's breathing. "Not sure what happened, but maybe a flashback," Lizzy added and looked at Grover.

The former SWAT captain squatted down next to her and whispered, "He's been having flashbacks this week since he got sick. Dr. Rosen thought maybe it was from the fever."

She nodded. "Yes, most likely." She watched her patient who appeared to again be sleeping. "Don't worry, we'll figure this out."

_**~~~H50~~~**_

Steve took a deep breath and opened his eyes to mere slits. He could hear them talking and decided it was time to join them. His headache didn't spike as much as he had expected and he blinked in the dim light and saw Grover and Lizzy next to him. Only then did he realize he was on the floor.

"What the hell happened?" Steve asked and raised his head.

"Stay still until the doctor checks you out," Lizzy ordered. "Mr. Grover, could you grab a pillow?"

Steve looked at Grover. "What'd I do, Lou?" Steve didn't heed the 'stay still' order and grabbed onto the bed and pulled himself into a sitting position. He groaned and leaned sideways against the bed to wait for the dizziness to pass.

"Do you remember anything?" Lou asked while dropping the pillow back onto the bed.

"No, I just woke… wait," he said, closing his eyes. "I heard an explosion and when I opened my eyes, I saw part of our convoy on fire. I had been thrown clear—" Steve paused again, trying to piece together his fractured memories. He opened his eyes and blinked again and added in a flat voice, "Obviously it wasn't real."

Lizzy had kept pressure on his arm against the still-bleeding wound. "Do you know where you are now?"

"Unfortunately," Steve replied, the corner of his mouth quirking up in a smile and his eyes once again closed.

The door opened again and Dr. Hwang appeared, peering down at them while reaching for a pair of rubber gloves from the box by the door. "Who wants to tell me what happened here?"

"I dropped a tray outside the door," Lizzy explained, "and it apparently shocked the commander into a flashback."

Steve opened his eyes to find the doctor mere inches from his face.

"Have you had flashbacks before?" Hwang asked.

"Some," Steve admitted, throwing a warning glance in Grover's direction to keep his mouth shut.

"Looks like you ripped that IV pretty good," the doctor mumbled while using two fingers to probe the cut at his hairline. "This doesn't look too bad, maybe a couple of butterflies can close it." He dropped his hand and took in his patient's general appearance. The hospital gown was clinging to him and beads of sweat dotted his upper lip. "We've got to work at getting your temp down."

He stood and looked around at the IV equipment littering the floor. "Are you in any pain?"

"Nothing that didn't hurt before." He held out his arm to Lou. "Help me up."

Grover looked toward the doctor for an OK. "Doc?"

Hwang nodded and bent down to help. "Let's keep it slow. Liz, keep pressure on his arm. A nurse has a wound cart outside waiting for instructions."

"That's good," she said when Steve sat on the side of the bed. "Steve, can you hold this? I'll get the cart."

"Let me look at it," the captain requested, peeling back the soaked material. "Well, you're going to have a spectacular bruise," he commented, noting that the ripped wound had begun to clot. "Captain Grover, would you mind giving us a few moments alone?"

"Not at all. I'll give the guard a break," Lou told them, holding the door open for Lizzy and the cart.

_**~~~H50~~~**_

"Have you figured out what this is?" Steve asked Captain Hwang. He was back in bed, a clean gown and mask in place, his arm bandaged and a new IV taped in place near his wrist. Two butterfly bandages covered the wound on his head and he was showing no symptoms other than the recurring dizziness which had plagued him since Saturday.

"Not yet," the doctor admitted. "But we're working on it. What can you tell me about your recent time in Afghanistan?"

"Nothing."

"Commander—"

"_**Captain,**_" Steve said in a voice that meant business. "That information is classified and I can't divulge anything."

"Were you injured?" the doctor tried again.

Steve hesitated and for a moment stopped breathing. "Cuts and bruises, concussion, dislocated shoulder." He paused, then added, "And that's all I will say."

The captain waved his hand. "Fair enough. We just took another blood sample. I'll run that and see if there is any change. I've got a colleague at the CDC running tests as well. How are you feeling now that you're back in bed?"

Steve sighed and leaned into the pillow. "About the same. Hot… achy all over."

"Nausea?"

"Yeah."

"We'll get something for that. It's late. Hopefully you can get some rest. Liz, call me if you need to."

"Yes, Sir."

_**~~~H50~~~**_

Grover remained outside after having sent the uniformed officer home a bit early. The next shift wasn't scheduled to begin until midnight, so he took up residence in the hall until that time.

Lizzy remained with Steve, trying to keep his temperature under control. She had cold packs in position and had cooled him with a sponge bath. He had felt miserable enough that he hadn't even complained at the attention.

"Hopefully you can sleep for a while," she told him, smiling when he looked at her.

"Yeah, thanks," he mumbled. "I need to tell you something…" he began, but trailed off.

"What's that?"

He looked at her again. "If I start having a nightmare, promise me you will get out of here. Leave me alone and run. Please."

Lizzy smiled. "That's not in my job description."

"Neither is getting thrown against the wall or slammed into the floor. Please, do it. I don't want to hurt you."

"How long have these been going on?"

"They come with the territory," he told her while sidestepping the question.

She nodded. "I know. My fiancé is a chopper pilot in Afghanistan. When he was home on R&R, he had nightmares every night. I _**know**_ they come with the job. I just hope…"

"What?"

"I asked him to get help and he assured me that he was fine and could handle it on his own." She shook her head and continued, "But I know that's not true."

Steve reached up and touched her arm. "Hey, give him a chance. It might take a while for him to admit he can't handle it by himself." He gave her a half smile. "We all think we can deal with it on our own. Until we finally realize we really can't. There's a group nearby that is really good. He just has to walk through the door. It took me a while to get there, but after getting a big nudge from that guy outside, I'm glad I took the step. It's worth it."

The nurse smiled at him. "I would appreciate that information. Michael's tour is up in two months and six days."

"Just be there waiting for him with open arms," Steve told her.

"I will," she said with a smile, glancing around to see Grover come back into the room.

"Are we safe and sound?" she asked him.

"We are," he replied. "How are things in here?" He looked from the nurse to her patient for answers. "If he gives you any trouble, you just let me know," Lou told her with a smile.

"We're fine. Temp is under control for the moment. At least it isn't climbing. I overheard earlier… there's someone looking for you?" She looked at Steve.

"Don't worry about it," Steve told her. "That's Lou's job."

"I'm not worried at all," she assured him. "It's after midnight… you need to try and get some sleep. Maybe you can do that if I be quiet, huh?"

"No problem," Steve said, his eyes immediately slid shut, confirming the fact that he was exhausted.

"Go to sleep," she told him with a grin while she dimmed the lights. "I'll be at the nursing station writing notes for a while."

_**~~~H50~~~**_

Unfortunately, sleep didn't last.

Lizzy returned with meds for a two a.m. check. The minute the door opened, Steve startled awake and raised up.

"Where -?" He searched the room, raising up in bed.

"Hey, Steve, everything's fine," Lou assured him, quickly moving into Steve's line of sight. "We're good."

"Ah, OK," he replied, falling back onto his pillow. "Is Cath back yet?"

"No, not yet," Grover told him. He didn't know if Steve was asking if she was back from Afghanistan or back from the corner market. The glazed look in Steve's eyes told him the man wasn't sure either.

Steve nodded his acceptance of Lou's answer and closed his eyes once again, but jumped at Lizzy's touch.

"Sorry," she whispered. "Go back to sleep."

At three, the nurse began cold compresses. Steve's gown was soaked with sweat and she unsnapped it at the shoulders, pulling it down to his waist. He had become agitated in his sleep and was mumbling non-sensible words, repeating the same phrases over and over. She leaned in closer trying to understand what he was saying.

"Sounds like 'Cath, take care of the kids," she whispered to Grover.

He nodded, not taking his eyes off the man he considered a close friend. Wishing there was something he could do to help.

Steve groaned and opened his eyes, wildly looking around the room. He managed to get out the words, "I'm gonna—" before beginning to gag. He rolled to his side, hugging his stomach. The nurse was immediately prepared urging him to get everything out of his system. Unfortunately, with little or no food in the last 48 hours, he did little more than dry heave. Once finished, he lay there panting softly, his eyes tightly shut and both arms crossed over his stomach.

"Want some water?" Lizzy asked, holding a small cup for him.

He adamantly shook his head. "Not now."

She washed his face with a cool cloth and left him on his side where he apparently had fallen back asleep.

At four, all hell broke loose.

Lizzy was adding a fever reducer to Steve's piggy-back line and touched his arm to gain access to the port.

He jerked awake and sat up in bed, looking wildly around the darkened room. "Cath, get out," he yelled, quickly grabbing the IV with his right hand, ripping it and the taping from his arm. Blood spurted in an arc while he tossed the tubing aside and swung his legs off the bed.

"Leave her alone!" He pushed a shocked Lizzy out of the way.

"Steve, Steve, calm down," Lou called to his friend. "We're safe, stand down," he ordered.

"No, he's here. I saw the ghost. Don't let him get Cath." He twisted, trying to break free from Grover's grasp although his attempt at standing proved pointless when he fell back onto the bed.

"Steve, look at me!"

Lou finally managed to get Steve's attention and he began to calm down. "We're good, OK? Everyone's safe."

"I saw him, Lou," Steve whispered and looked around the room, unsure whether to believe his friend.

The nurse once again had grabbed his arm, covering the second wound with a cloth, trying to stop the bleeding. "Can you reach the call button?" she asked Grover. "Ask them to contact Captain Hwang, please."

Grover left one hand on Steve's shoulder and pressed the button with the other. "Steve, you with me?"

He nodded, staring at his arm. "That's gonna hurt tomorrow, isn't it?" He looked up at Lizzy, a look of apology on his face.

"Oh, yeah," she told him. "You've got to stop doing that. Let's get you back in bed."

_**~~~H50~~~**_

Captain Hwang took one look at his patient and sighed. Steve was sleeping fitfully, his skin hot and flushed. The nurse was using wet compresses in the attempt to cool him, but even with that procedure, the doctor could tell the fever hadn't abated. He reached for the chart and flipped through the nurse's notes for the last few hours. "He took out another IV?" he asked incredulously.

Lizzy nodded and patted Steve's arm. "I'm keeping closer watch on him now," she assured the doctor.

He finished checking the chart. "What's his temp now?" he asked.

The nurse checked it once again. "It's 103.2. Half hour ago, it was 103," she told him.

"I am going to get a room prepped in ICU," he said. "In hindsight, I should have started those preparations yesterday, but hopefully we can set up an isolation unit this morning."

"Captain…?"

He looked up from writing in the chart. "Yes, Liz?"

"I know this is a strange request, but could I go with him? To ICU, that is?"

The doctor looked at her and smiled. With a nod, he agreed, "I think that can be arranged. In fact, I would appreciate it. But…" he cautioned her, "Only after you get some rest. I'm guessing you've had quite a busy night. Once you get him settled, you need to take a few hours off – deal?"

"Yes, Sir. Thank you."

"She has had a busy night," Lou agreed, moving closer to the bed. "He's kept her on her toes," he told them and nodded to the nurse. "Thank you for taking good care of him." With a look at the doctor, he asked, "Are you going to have a problem with us in the room in ICU?"

The Army doctor shook his head. "I'm writing the orders as we speak," he said, glancing in Grover's direction. "And I wouldn't expect otherwise." He turned back to Liz. "I do want the rails kept up… looks like he could be a flight risk… and use a restraint on the right side. Looks like you've got the left one pretty well bandaged. I'll be back as soon as I get the ball rolling downstairs."

_**~~~H50~~~  
><strong>_Steve jerked awake when he felt movement. He opened his eyes and quickly squeezed them shut and couldn't quite control the groan that escaped. In that split second when he saw the walls move, his stomach somersaulted and he was slammed with another bout of overwhelming nausea.

"I just added some Phenergan to your IV to help your stomach," Lizzy told him, her voice near his ear. "We're going to move you to another room. Just try and relax, we won't be long."

Steve wanted to wipe the sweat he could feel collected on his face, but his arm wouldn't cooperate. He raised his head to look and see why. All he could see was a green foam egg crate wrapped around his wrist. He twisted his arm to try and get rid of it. "What'sat for?" he asked, dropping his head back to the bed.

The nurse blotted his forehead and replied, "Doctor's orders, Sir. To keep you from pulling out any more IVs, Commander. She moved out of the way when two orderlies turned the bed to move it out the door. "Captain Grover and I are right behind you, Steve, so just relax. We'll be there soon."

Lou and the guard followed the bed as it headed down the hallway toward the elevators. The orderlies had closed off all the patient rooms and everyone was in isolation gear. Captain Hwang was waiting for them at the intersection of the hall where two other wings intersected.

"Excuse me," he told some visitors heading toward the elevators. "Please step back into the other hallway until we pass. Thank you."

Steve heard voices around him and opened his eyes once again, with better results. The nurse was walking next to the bed and he could see Dr. Hwang and three other people nearby. The doctor had his arms out, trying to urge the people to move. One couple nodded and turned around, but there was a man behind them who stared straight at Steve before turning to walk away.

"That's him!"

"What?" Lizzy asked, turning to look at him. "Steve lie down." She placed her hand on his shoulder when he tried to sit up.

"That's the guy. Where's Lou?"

"Steve, what's wrong?"

"It's him, Lou. The guy in the ball cap. It's Mendez."

They stopped in front of the employee elevator and waited for the doors to open.

Grover moved past them and checked the hallway, seeing only a middle-aged couple waiting for them to pass. There was no one in a ball cap. He moved back to the elevator and shrugged. "Steve, there's no one there."

"Lou—"

"There were three people in the hallway," Lizzy confirmed. "And one of them was wearing a ball cap."

_**~~~H50~~~**_


	9. Chapter 9

OK, I know this isn't Tuesday and I had promised to deliver a chapter every Tuesday. But really, there were extenuating circumstances, the most obvious one being last Friday's superb episode. That sent me for a loop... Add to that, the fact that since Friday I was in Tennessee babysitting my grandchildren, I've been a bit busy. Also, my grand baby had a really bad cold and decided to share her germs. I have been sneezing and coughing since Tuesday! So... is that enough of an excuse?

I will shut up and let you get on with reading. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Cokie

_**~~~H50~~~**_

"_**There were three people in the hallway," Lizzy confirmed. "And one of them was wearing a ball cap."**_

_**Kea akua lapu**_

_**Chapter 9**_

_**(Tuesday morning)**_

"It could have been anyone," Danny argued, shaking his head.

The team was convening in a corner of the ICU waiting room on the second floor of the hospital. For the move to ICU, Grover had warned the guard to be on alert while making the room change and had contacted the MPs to help him sweep the floors for the intruder. Unfortunately they hadn't found anyone fitting Mendez's description.

"Yeah, it could have," Grover agreed. "But when I checked there was _**no one**_ at all, even after the nurse confirmed she saw the man with the ball cap. Now, if he wasn't trying to hide, where did he go?" he asked. "We did a sweep of the rooms on that wing and he wasn't there. The only place he could have gone was down the stairway, and unfortunately there was plenty of time for that before we got people in place to check everyone leaving the building."

"And Steve was certain it was Mendez?"

Lou nodded. "Yeah, Danny, he's sure. Before the elevator got there, he grabbed my arm and said, "It's him. I saw his eyes."

"But you also said he had seen the guy last night… in his room."

"That was different," Grover calmly pointed out. "First, Steve was dreaming and second, there was no one there."

"That's my point."

"Danny?" Kono began, a look of frustration on her face. "Why is it so hard for you to believe that Steve isn't making all this up?"

Danny huffed, then put his hands in his pockets and shook his head. "I'm really not trying to be difficult," he admitted, shaking his head. "But you didn't see him Saturday morning. He really wasn't in reality."

"No, he wasn't," Lou agreed. "And there have been times since then when he was seeing things that weren't there, but this is different," Grover insisted. "Even though he is sick, he's still Steve. And he knows what he saw."

"I agree with Lou," Chin said. "If Steve had any doubt, he would admit it. I think Mendez has targeted him and is coming after him."

"OK," Danny conceded. "What do we do next? Let's go with the premise that you're right. And if you are, then it's apparent he can get into the hospital and has probably scoped out the place."

"We need more eyes in the hospital," Grover said. "Could one of you call the governor to see if he will authorize it?"

"You could do that, Lou," Chin told him with a grin.

"Yeah, the governor and me ain't there yet," Grover chuckled. "I think I am still only tolerated."

"You did what you had to do," Danny told him. "Denning did approve Steve's request to hire you, and I'm sure he's just putting up a front."

"How'zit, Bruddahs and Sista? You fine folks are hard to locate."

"Hey, Uncle," Kono said, giving Kamekona a hug. "They had to bring Steve down to ICU this morning."

"How is the big guy?" he asked.

"Feeling pretty bad," Chin told him.

"That's what I'm here to talk about," the self-proclaimed shrimp king said. "Rumor has it that there's a new playa in town. A real nasty one, too. When I heard McGarrett was sick, I wondered if he had come in contact with this guy."

"How so?" Danny asked.

"Real bad stuff, if you get my drift," Kame told them. "This guy is into all kinds of voo-doo drugs and rumor has it that he has killed lots of peoples by using poison. Only before they die, they trip out and usually end up killing themselves in drug-induced heebee-jeebies."

"Heebee-jeebies?" Danny asked and looked at Kamekona.

"Yeah, Brah, they start seeing things that ain't there."

"How reliable is your source?" Kono asked.

"He knows what he's talkin' about. Hasn't failed me yet," Kamekona assured them. "Said this guy came up from South America to settle an old score."

"Guys," Chin began. "I think Mendez managed somehow to poison Steve. He tried to get away at the scene and Steve chased him. None of us saw what went down. All we know is that they both fired their weapons."

"Wouldn't Steve have remembered if he was poisoned?" Danny asked.

Grover and Chin looked at each other and said simultaneously, "The bullet."

"Which we have in the evidence locker," Chin said, pulling out his phone. "I'll get Fong on it."

"I'll call the governor," Danny said, reaching for his own phone.

Grover nodded. "I'll go in and ask Lizzy to contact Dr. Hwang. This changes this whole infectious disease thing they've got going on."

_**~~~H50~~~**_

"Thanks to your forensics lab, we have traces of poison from the bullet," Captain Hwang told the assembled group seated in the conference room. He had requested the meeting after receiving the results from Fong earlier that morning. "I forwarded the results to the CDC and also to the National Poison Control data centers for their expertise. In fact, someone from the AAPCC is flying in from San Diego to review the case. To say he was intrigued is an understatement."

"Is there an antidote?" Danny asked the question on all their minds.

"Yes and no," the doctor hedged. "I'm sure there is, but we don't know yet what it is. The poison has a digitalis base but there are many more components in it. Until we know exactly what we're dealing with, it is difficult to set a plan of action."

"How is Steve doing right now?" Grover asked.

The doctor slowly shook his head and looked at the group in front of him before finally admitting, "He's losing ground. His fever is out of control and even a cooling pad and blanket haven't really helped it. I have him scheduled for a scan of his belly as soon as they can fit him in. The bullet wound is healing nicely, but since that is what introduced the poison to his system, I want to get a look inside. One manifest of this is that touch and noise seem to introduce hallucinations and they are getting worse as time goes by. I'm afraid we'll have to sedate him to do the scan."

"The person coming from San Diego," Chin began, "will he have answers?"

"We can only hope so. I know you want to remain with the commander, but please try not to disturb him. If he wakes on his own, that is great, let him know you are there. We have had to pull the blinds down in the room to minimize outside activity and the lights are dimmed but he doesn't need undue distress. I don't think I have to tell you that he's a very ill person. One positive note though is that we can do away with the isolation gear."

The team looked at each other, all thinking the same thing, no one ready to ask the question.

"Any more questions?" the doctor asked.

Danny nodded and swallowed hard before finally asking, "How long?"

The doctor shook his head. "There are way too many variables to begin to speculate, so let's not go there." He hesitated, then added, "After looking at the list of poisons pulled from the bullet, he should already be dead." He let that sink in before he added, "But, for some reason he isn't. I don't know why but I'm not complaining. Let's see what our expert has to say and then we will begin a treatment regimen. We are by no means done fighting."

"That's what I wanted to hear," Grover voiced for the team. "Thanks for your honesty."

"When's the doc from San Diego getting here?" Danny asked.

"Later this afternoon. He was taking the earliest flight he could get."

_**~~~H50~~~**_

Danny waited outside with the guard while the hospital team was getting Steve settled back in his room. He had hovered outside the door while the tests were being performed but no one had results to tell him when they were finished.

"We need to wait for the doctors to go over the results," Lizzy had told him. And Danny was _**not**_ too happy to wait.

When the orderly left the room, Danny entered and was surprised to find Steve awake and talking to Lizzy who had managed to grab a couple hours of sleep after he had been moved to ICU.

"But why can't you?" Steve said in a near-whine.

"Commander, you have pulled out two IVs. I'm not going to risk another one," the nurse explained.

"Steven, are you causing trouble?" Danny asked, a smile on his face upon seeing his partner's expression.

"No," came the sullen answer. "Danny, she tied me up."

"I won't let any hanky-panky go on if that's what you're worried about," Danny said, grinning at Lizzy before looking back to Steve. "You look like you're feeling better."

"His temp has dropped a degree in the last hour," the nurse told them. "That's great news."

Steve wiggled his wrist in the restraint. "And I'm not having any flashbacks, so why won't you untie me?"

She patted his hand in sympathy. "I'll let the doctor make that call." She then smiled after hearing a low rumble. "Was that your stomach? Are you hungry?"

Steve thought about the question. "Maybe. Kind of."

"Something on your stomach could help with your nausea," she told him. "Let me see what the doctors think. I'll be back in a few minutes."

Steve leaned back onto the pillow and sighed. "The SOB poisoned a bullet? That explains him telling me to 'have a nice life'. He thought I'd be dead soon. And… he might be right."

"He's not right," Danny argued. "Steve, don't even—"

"I saw him again. Here."

Danny nodded. "Yeah, uh, I know. So did Liz."

"So you'll believe her but not me?" Steve asked in a low tone.

"Hey!" Danny said, then spoke a bit louder. "Hey, Steve! Come on, look at me. I'm sorry I didn't believe you. Believe me, everyone set me straight. Especially Lou."

"What'd he do?"

"He said that no matter what, even being sick and having hallucinations at times, you were still you. And you know what you saw. I… I just never looked at it that way before. And I am sorry, Steve."

Steve sighed. "Yeah, I get it, Danny. How crazy have I been? I haven't hurt anyone, have I?"

Danny shook his head. "No, you haven't. Only yourself. If you rip out another IV, Lizzy might put you in a straight jacket."

"I heard that," she said, backing into the door, carrying a tray. "And it might be true," she warned her patient with a smile. "Are you still feeling up to eating something?"

Steve nodded. "I'll try. If you will untie me."

She set the tray on the table and reached for the soft restraint. "I talked to the doctor and he gave his consent. He will be up here soon with the results of your scan. Do you feel like sitting up a bit?"

"Yeah."

"Close your eyes and breathe through your mouth if you get dizzy," she warned him. "I'll move the bed slowly."

The bed moved upward and she watched her patient, who kept his eyes closed.

"Commander?"

"In a minute," he mumbled before taking a deeper breath and carefully opening his eyes. "OK, that's better."

She uncapped a syringe that was on the tray. "I'm going to give you another hit of Phenergan to help the nausea. Hopefully you can eat something. I brought Jello, applesauce, a banana and ice cream. What's your pleasure?"

"Not Jello," Steve quickly said looking at the green stuff on the tray. "How about the applesauce?"

Liz reached for the silverware wrapped in a napkin and unrolled it, then handed him the spoon and cup. "Do you want some help?"

"I've got it."

"Can I have the Jello?" Danny asked, reaching for the fork. "He hates this stuff," he told the nurse, spearing a cube of green with the utensil.

Steve set the cup down after a few bites. "I think I'm done," he told her, leaning back and closing his eyes. "Maybe that wasn't such a good idea."

Liz checked his temperature and reported, "It's beginning to climb again. Want me to lower the bed so you can rest?"

Steve shook his head. "No, not yet. Don't want to move."

"Steve?" Danny quietly asked. "Can I have your ice cream?"

Steve snorted his answer. "Knock yourself out, Danno."

"I'll be back in a few minutes," Liz told them, leaving the room. "Get some rest."

"Yeah," Steve said. A few seconds later, he added, "Danno?"

"Yeah, Babe, what do you need?"

"Nothing. This sucks."

"Yeah, I know."

Steve managed to doze a few minutes but woke upon hearing voices. He blinked his eyes open to find both Dr. Rosen and Dr. Hwang in the room along with the nurse.

"What's the verdict?" Steve asked, trying to keep the encroaching nausea at bay.

"Dr. Connor from San Diego should be here by six," Hwang told him. "But we brought the results of your CT scan. Do you want your partner to leave the room while we discuss them?"

Steve looked from one doctor to the other. "No, he can stay. Both of you had to bring the results?"

Dr. Rosen grinned at him. "No, but I have a vested interest in your case. And we found something we missed earlier."

"What's that?" Danny asked.

Captain Hwang asked, "Commander, did you receive any injury to your kidneys in Afghanistan? Specifically the left one?"

"I—" Steve glanced at Danny and swallowed. "Yeah, I peed blood for a while. Why?"

"There's an abscess behind your left kidney," he explained. "The flu-like symptoms you were experiencing may have stemmed from that."

"How's that?" Danny asked. "I thought he was poisoned by the bullet."

Dr. Rosen nodded and explained, "That's true. But when I first saw you, it was because of the graze from the bullet. I prescribed an antibiotic to counter infection."

Captain Hwang interjected, "The base of this poison is digitalis. Antibiotics and digitalis don't mix. In fact, in layman terms, antibiotics short circuit Digoxin and cause it not to work properly. In this case, that is a very good thing."

"So, what's next?" Steve asked, before closing his eyes and swallowing convulsively.

"Commander?" Lizzy asked him, moving closer to the bed.

"M'OK. Just… put the bed down."

The doctors waited until he was comfortable and then answered the question. "Steve, we want Dr. Connor to look over the results of everything and if he concurs, we will take you to surgery and drain the abscess. Hopefully that will occur tonight. He should be able to suggest some meds to counter attack the overdose of digitalis and the other substances."

"If there are no questions, we'll leave you to get some rest," Rosen told him. "And we'll be back with Dr. Connor."

"Thanks," Steve breathed, trying to keep the nausea away.

_**~~~H50~~~**_

"Hey, Duke, what's up?" Danny asked quietly, going out into the hall so he wouldn't wake up Steve.

Steve opened his eyes and could hear Danny outside the door. He raised his head and looked around the room, realizing he was alone. The dizziness from earlier was back and he closed his eyes to hide the wavering walls. But he had seen the food on the tray and reached out his arm to push the rolling cart out of his sight, hoping that 'out of sight, out of mind' trick might work. He knew he did _**not**_ want to think about food. It was then that he realized that Lizzy hadn't fastened his arm back down. He moved the cart again and smiled, tucking his hand beneath the sheet, hoping she would forget all about it.

Out of sight, out of mind. He was drifting back to sleep when Danny returned.

"Steve? You awake?"

"Hmm, yeah."

"I just got off the phone with Duke. HPD has confirmation from airport security that Mendez was seen there. Units are on the way there now, along with the team."

Steve opened his eyes. "Go, Danny. Get this bastard."

"Yeah, but I don't want—"

"Danny, get out of here. Is there a guard still out there?"

"Yes, but—"

"Then go, now."

"OK, I'll pull one of the guards from downstairs up here," Danny said, heading toward the door. "I'll keep you posted."

"You better. Now move!"

_**~~~H50~~~**_

Liz looked up when the door opened and set down her iPad where she was recording Steve's vitals. His earlier "good" period had passed and his temp had risen once again. He had been lightly dozing for about an hour after Danny had left.

"Hello. I'm Dr. Connor to see Commander McGarrett."

"Hey, great. Captain Hwang has been expecting you."

"Yes, would you mind letting him know I'm here, please?" the doctor asked.

"Not a problem." She glanced at Steve who appeared to be asleep. "I'll be right back," she assured him and opened the door.

When the door closed behind her, he muttered, "Take your time. Commander, we meet again," he said, turning and smiling at Steve who was staring back at him.

_**~~~H50~~~**_


	10. Chapter 10

_**Author's Notes: Well, Episode 5.07 certainly put a kink in this story! Now I feel redundant using hallucinogens and flashbacks, but this was begun long before I knew what the Show had planned for Steve in Episode 100. If you can stick with the story, we will soon be finished. Again, sorry for the delay, but real life decided that I had too much time to play and wanted to ensure I had other things to keep me busy…**_

_**~~~H50~~~**_

_**Kea akua lapu**_

_**Chapter 10**_

_**When the door closed behind her, he muttered, "Take your time. Commander, we meet again," he said, turning and smiling at Steve who was staring back at him.**_

_**~~~H50~~~**_

"You know they're going to hunt you down, don't you?" Steve weakly asked.

Mendez looked around the room. "If you want to continue to believe that, go right ahead." He touched the closed blinds. "I must thank the nurses for closing these. Makes my job so much easier." He moved closer to Steve and reached into his pocket and pulled out a syringe.

"The plan was for you to die over the weekend. And here it is, Tuesday night and you're still a pain in my ass. I couldn't take the risk of leaving the island with you still alive, so I'm going to have to do this quick and dirty. Although you should suffer like my brother did. Did you even know he didn't die immediately after your attack? He lingered… between life and the hereafter… for three days after you and your men came in for the slaughter." The man huffed out a laugh. "So, I suppose you've had your three days, too."

_Just come a little closer,_ Steve thought, not taking his eyes off the man. "Your brother was getting little kids hooked on drugs and then selling them to the highest bidder as sex toys," Steve said in disgust.

Mendez shrugged and reached out to grab the IV line and uncapped his syringe. "It was a living. This is the straight stuff… no messing around this time, Commander." He slid the short needle into the port of the IV and depressed the plunger. Watching the clear liquid travel through the tube, he added, "I understand digitalis overdose is a horrible way to go. Sometimes the heart actually explodes in a person's chest."

He dropped the IV line and leaned over the bed. "How's that feel, Commander? I hope you rot in hell."

_**~~~50~~~**_

Liz opened the door moments later only to have the door pulled from her grasp. Once she was inside the room, it was shut behind her. "What—OH, my God, what have you done? You killed him." She rushed to the bed, staring at the man not bothering to feel for a pulse.

It was obvious he was dead, his carotid severed.

Steve stood near the door, trying to suck in air. In his hand was a bloody butter knife from the tray of food Lizzy had brought in earlier. The gown he wore was splattered with Mendez's blood, mixed with Steve's where another IV line had been ripped out of his arm.

"Steve, I need to call for help," Lizzy said, trying to move around him.

"No," he wheezed. "Stay back" he ordered, pointing his shaking hand with the bloody knife in her direction. "You—you're sorry he's dead," Steve accused her. In a lower voice he continued. "Did you… were you working with him?" Steve shook his head, hoping to clear it, but that small action almost knocked him to his knees. He grabbed for his chest and stared at Lizzy.

"Commander, this was the doctor who came to help you. Please let me call for help."

"Tried to kill me," he slurred. "Hunting me."

"No, Steve, you're wrong. This is a doctor. It isn't the man who was in the hallway. I swear. Now, let me help you," Lizzy tried to reason with her patient who was in obvious distress.

Not only did she have a dead doctor in the room, her patient was holding a knife on her and panting for breath, sweating profusely and holding his chest tightly.

Steve backed into the door. "I said stay back." He grabbed the IV pole which had been pushed towards the door and wedged it through the door handle. "Be quiet and let me think."

"Let me help you. Please," she begged.

_**~~~H50~~~**_

Grover had been at the crime lab when the call came in that Mendez was at the airport. He left Fong to head that direction, but then doubled back. His gut just didn't feel right and one thing he had learned in his years on the force was to follow his gut. He listened on the police band while racing toward the hospital. Once there, he headed in the door, just to double check and make sure things were all right. He knew he had some explaining to do by not following orders, but pulled out his phone and called Danny anyway.

"Lou, where the hell are you?" Danny yelled. "We've got a DB in the airport bathroom."

"Decided to come by the hospital first," Grover replied. "Is it Mendez?"

"No, but we're getting confirmation now." He paused and listened before saying, "Shit. It's the doctor. Where's Steve?"

Grover took off in a run toward the stairs, thankful Steve was only on level 2. "On my way up now," he yelled before sliding his phone back into his pocket. He raced up the two spans of stairs and burst out the door, nearly running into Dr. Hwang.

"Captain, not so fast," the doctor smiled. "Dr. Connor just arrived. I'm on my way to—"

Lou took off toward the ICU. "Dr. Connor is in the airport bathroom… dead." He stopped by the MP who was seated outside the ICU doors. "Anyone go in for McGarrett?"

"Only the doctor they were expecting," he told him.

"Call in back up. That's not a doctor." He and Hwang went to Steve's cubicle and tried to see in the cracks between the blinds. The room only had one dim light near the bed and they couldn't see anything. He drew his weapon and tried to slide open the door.

"Mendez, I know you're in there," he called. "Open the door."

"Captain!" Liz called out with a shaky voice. "He killed him."

"Let her go, Mendez. Open the door and let her go."

"No… it's Steve. He killed the doctor."

"Shut up," Steve shouted. "Get back from the door."

Grover breathed a sigh of relief at hearing his friend was alive. "Steve, let me in, man. Everything's gonna be all right."

"Wait. This _**is**_ Mendez?" Liz asked. "He is the man… Steve, I'm so sorry I didn't believe you."

Steve's hand clawed at his chest and she noticed his lips were tinged blue. His hair was slick with sweat and he was having trouble breathing. Yet, he leaned against the door, not allowing her to touch him.

"Captain, get a nurse," Lizzy called through the closed door. Still in professional mode, but Lou could hear the slight panicky undertone. "I need a crash cart available in here. The commander doesn't look too good."

"Liz, I'll get the cart," the doctor told her. "What's the status?"

"Did Mendez do something to him?" Grover asked and rattled the door. "Steve, let me in."

"He said… Steve, you said he tried to poison you. Again?"

"No," he slowly shook his head. "Yes," he amended, looking at his bloody arm. "Drugs."

When he looked back at her, his eyes glazed and the knife clattered to the floor. All Liz could do was slow his fall when he hit the deck, unconscious.

She scooted out from beneath him and jerked on the IV pole in an attempt to dislodge it. The crook in it was caught beneath the handle and she panicked. "It's stuck," she yelled, rattling it to jerk it loose. I need help in here."

With a final tug, it was free and she tossed it down and turned back to her patient, making sure he had an adequate airway before the doctor came to assess him.

Grover entered the room, weapon drawn, just to ensure Mendez was indeed dead. Dr. Hwang and another nurse entered with a cart.

"He's not breathing," Liz told the doctor as he dropped to his knees beside her.

With a quick check, he confirmed her findings.

"We've got a Code Blue," Dr. Hwang yelled out the opened door.

Grover watched from the door how the doctor bent Steve's head back and inserted a tube down his friend's throat. It only took a moment to expertly place the breathing tube and then Lizzy started bagging the unresponsive commander.

The leads were reattached to the EKG and Grover was shocked to hear a wailing sound. The last he saw, before he was pushed out of the door by more medical personal, was Dr. Hwang placing the paddles on Steve's chest.

_**~~~H50~~~**_


	11. Chapter 11

_**Author's Notes: Just a reminder… There is not an MD, RN or any title after my name and while I have done some medical research (one of my favorite things to do) I know nothing of poisons, overdoses, or the proper treatment. This is all from my tiny little brain… so treat it as such, please. In other words, kindly suspend belief… we are dealing with fiction here! **_

_**This is the final chapter of this "short" tale which turned out much longer than I had anticipated! I hope you have enjoyed it. Thanks so much for all the comments and reviews. They are appreciated so much. Also, to the "guest" reviewers, I appreciate your comments as well. I am sorry that real life crept in and put a kink in my writing time, making this so late, but well... I guess that's life. Mahalo to everyone!**_

_**DISCLAIMER: Sam read the A/N above and reminded me that with the research we have done, if anything suspicious happens to anyone we know that we would be the first suspects. **__** And… well, she's probably right. :)  
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_~~~H50~~~_

**_Previously in Chapter 10 …_**

"_We've got a Code Blue," Dr. Hwang yelled out the opened door._

_Grover watched from the door how the doctor bent Steve's head back and inserted a tube down his friend's throat. It only took a moment to expertly place and check the breathing tube and then Lizzy started bagging the unresponsive commander._

_The leads were reattached to the EKG and Grover was shocked to hear a wailing sound. The last he saw, before he was pushed out of the door by more medical personal, was Dr. Hwang placing the paddles on Steve's chest._

_**Kea Akua Lapu**_

_**Chapter 11**_

The entire team, along with Duke and Kamekona, who had heard through his amazing grapevine, had gathered in the ICU waiting room, half sitting quietly; the others either pacing or staring at the wall. Danny was pacing, playing scenes over and over in his head; first of finding Dr. Connor dead in the airport bathroom and then being hit with the realization that if the doctor was dead, more than likely Mendez was headed to the hospital to go after Steve.

After hearing Lou's account of what had gone down in Steve's ICU cubicle, Danny's guilt-meter had sky-rocketed off the charts.

He should have listened to his partner.

Period. No questions asked.

Instead he had disbelieved, argued and pretty much called Steve a liar. Or worse… someone who had a total break with reality. All because of very real hallucinations which had been caused by the drugs he had been hit with.

Danny huffed in frustration and sat back down in one of the uncomfortable chairs and looked over at Lou who obviously wasn't faring too much better.

Grover had been physically removed from the doorway by a nurse and she hadn't let go of his arm until he was in the waiting area, on the opposite side of the double doors.

But his last view of Steve hadn't been a positive one. He could still hear the eerie sound coming from the EKG when he should have been hearing a heartbeat.

That was over an hour ago and they hadn't heard anything since. Grover was taking that as a good sign although whenever the double doors would open, they could see nothing but grim-faced employees scurrying around inside. But he was still hoping the saying "no news is good news" would hold true for the day. Because what he had seen and heard earlier had been bad… very bad.

The clock on the wall in the waiting room was inching closer to two hours before the doors opened again and Dr. Hwang came out. Everyone turned in his direction when he dropped into one of the vacant chairs.

Hwang stretched out his legs and sighed, but didn't mince words and came right to the point. "We've got him back… for now," he told the group and then shook his head. "But it's been a rough afternoon. He is stable but the next few hours may be tricky. Normally digitalis is taken in pill form… not mainstreamed. We've had to shock him two separate times to keep his heart beating." The captain shook his head. "We're in for a rough night… and before you ask, he can't have visitors right now."

"Doc—" Danny began, only to be quieted by the doctor's hand making a stop motion.

"I know you want to stay. I get that, but right now we've still got a nurse and a PA in there monitoring him. They need space to work" Hwang explained his reasoning. "And the commander is sedated so he won't know if you're out here or in the room with him."

"So what happens next?" Lou asked.

"We keep watch and take care of each crisis as it comes up. We are flooding him with IVs to flush the drugs out of his system, that is our top priority right now," the doctor told the group the plan for the next hours. "But keep in mind that even that treatment comes with the risk of creating more imbalances. And when he's a bit more stable we still need to drain the abscess on his kidney."

"Captain, we need you," a PA called from the opened door.

He nodded and stood, before heading back to Steve he glanced around the group once again. "We'll keep you posted. Don't give up on us yet."

Danny watched him leave and then jumped up from his chair where he had sat when the doctor came out. Running a hand over the back of his neck, he sighed. "Wish we could at least see him," he muttered to no one in particular.

"It looks and sounds pretty crazy back there," Kono commented. "The doc is right, we'd only be in the way."

"Yeah, that's what worries me," Danny replied.

Chin stood and stopped Danny before he began pacing again. "It's better than the alternative. There's no sense in all of us sitting around and, I, for one, would rather be doing something useful. Danny do you have Steve's phone?"

Danny frowned in thought. "No, why would I? Lou?" he asked, turning around.

"Last I saw it was on the bedside table. Before he got really sick, Steve was using it."

"I want to contact Steve's Navy friend with an update," Chin explained. "Tell him that we really do have Mendez." He walked toward the double doors. "Maybe I can get someone's attention." He slid through the door and moved closer to Steve's cubicle, hoping to see Lizzy, but once back there, his eyes were transfixed on Steve.

The sheet was pulled to Steve's waist and his chest was covered in more EKG leads than Chin had ever seen on one person. An IV was in place ear his collarbone and he still had the tube down his throat that Grover had told them about. He was covered in a sheen of sweat and looked all but lifeless although Chin could see and hear the beeps and blips of the monitors on the wall. While he waited, Lizzy turned around and saw him.

"Hey," she said quietly, moving toward him. "You really shouldn't be back here right now," she said sympathetically.

"Yeah, I know, but did you see Steve's cell in there? I need to pull someone from his contact list."

"Let me check. It was on the table earlier. I see it, just a sec." She squeezed around the physician's assistant who was leaning over Steve and reached for the phone. Sliding back out, she handed it to Chin. "We'll take care of him," she promised.

Chin nodded and smiled at her. "I know you will. Thank you."

She watched as his eyes were drawn back to his friend and she said, "I have to apologize to him when he wakes up."

"Why's that?"

"When I went into his room, I began yelling at him that he had killed the doctor and I wouldn't listen when the commander told me who that man was. And then after I learned it really was the guy who was after Steve, I realized that if he hadn't killed the man, I would probably be dead now, too."

Chin nodded at her once again. "And Steve will only tell you that he was just doing his job."

"Maybe so, but I'm grateful and really sorry I doubted him."

"Yeah, me, too," Chin agreed. "And we all probably have some apologies to make. I'll let you get back to work… and I'll be back later."

_**~~~H50~~~**_

_**Three Days Later…**_

"_Commander? Are you trying to wake up?"_

The words hit his sluggish mind and reverberated around for a moment while he thought. Steve _understood_ the words, but in the end he decided he really didn't want to wake up. The half-awake state he was in was painful enough; no need to add to it.

Steve couldn't really remember what had happened, but from the smell that assaulted him, he knew he wasn't in his own bed.

_Hospital._

The word came unbidden into Steve's consciousness but he really couldn't recall why he was there. Nor did he care. His mouth was dry and pasty but he knew that even if he _could_ swallow, it would hurt as his throat felt like it was lined with razorblades. Everything ached but he realized the worst was the pounding in his head. Even with his eyes closed he felt like he was on the deck of a ship trying to withstand the pitch. That thought caused his stomach to somersault and he bit back a groan of agony.

"_Commander? Are you with me?"_

Well, maybe that groan escaped; he wasn't too sure. He felt a soft hand on his forehead and it felt cool against his sweaty skin. Maybe he should wake up and see what was going on.

_Nah… that required? too much…_

_**~~~H50~~~**_

"Hey, Liz, how are things?" Lou asked when the nurse came out of the double doors of ICU.

"Promising," she replied when Grover and Danny stood up to meet her. "I told you he would probably start to wake up in a couple of hours and he is trying. I thought you two might help him along when he does. Want to come on back?"

"About time," Danny good-naturedly complained. "Was beginning to think he was going to hibernate all winter."

It was late in the evening the third day after Mendez had tried to kill Steve. The first 36 hours had been tense with the staff attempting to combat every obstacle Steve's drug laden body had thrown at them. Finally they began to see progress when his electrolytes slowly fell within normal ranges. They began to think he stood a chance to come out of the trauma whole. During that time, his team remained in the waiting room and after the critical hours passed, they had only been allowed to see Steve for short visits.

Earlier that day, they had taken Steve to surgery to drain the abscess on his kidney but until now, he hadn't been aware of his surroundings. They hadn't been able to talk to him since the incident with Mendez.

"Hey, Sleepyhead," Danny said, leaning over his sleeping partner. It had been a couple of hours since he had seen Steve and he was amazed at how much better Steve appeared to be in that short time period. After surgery he had looked pretty sickly and pasty but now, at least he had some color back. Steve lay on his right side with pillows placed behind his hip and shoulders to keep him in position. Tubing snaked out beneath the bandage on his lower back leading to a drainage bag beside him.

"Take a load off, Danny," Grover said, bringing a chair into the cubicle. Liz followed him with another one.

"Hopefully he will wake up on his own," Liz told them. "The doctor had me cut back the meds until we can assess his mental acuteness."

"So, he's gonna wake up in pain?"

"No, of course not, Captain Grover. We'd never do that to him… I just want him awake enough to answer a couple of questions before I give him the next dose of pain meds. We need him comfortably asleep and not knocked out."

"He hasn't been awake at all since he collapsed, has he?" Danny asked.

Liz shook her head. "No, not really. Before surgery this morning he responded when I asked him to squeeze my hand, but he wasn't truly conscious. Also, remember he still has some residual drugs in his system. He will probably still be confused when he wakes."

"Any time, Steven," Danny said and looked at his partner just in time to see a frown marring his features. He squeezed Steve's arm. "Hey, Babe, you with us?"

_**~~~H50~~~**_

…_Sleepyhead… Danny… Captain…pain… Steven…_

He heard voices all around him but they weren't making any sense. Who collapsed? Who was confused?

Oh… maybe I'm confused… Dizzy… thirsty…

"Steve, you're making a frowny face. Can you open your eyes?"

_**Could**__ he open his eyes? Sure. Did he want to? Not at all. _

"Now you're making a grumpy face. Come on, wake up."

_Danny._ The name finally came to him.

"Commander, you might as well… you know he won't give up until you do."

_Who? Ah… Grover._

"Just be patient with him."

_That was a nice voice… Cath? He could open his eyes for her._

_**~~~H50~~~**_

Steve blinked in the dim light trying to blink away the dizziness. He finally raised his eyes to look at the figure seated on his right.

"Hey, you with us?"

His tongue tried to lick dry lips, but he had no luck. Suddenly a straw was placed against his mouth and he greedily tried to suck.

"Easy, not too much," the soft voice said again from behind him.

Steve turned his head and saw the woman smiling down at him.

Not Cath.

He closed his eyes. Cath was gone.

Blood was everywhere. On him; his hands; his clothes. He couldn't wipe off the stains even though he tried swiping them on the bed.

"Hey, hey," the other voice said. He looked up at the tall, black man who was leaning over him and suddenly holding onto his wrists. He was trying to wipe away the bloodstains but they wouldn't let him.

"Get off, get off," Steve pleaded, raising his eyes to the person holding him down.

"OK," Grover replied in an easy tone. "Everything's fine… just don't want you to pull out any stitches."

Steve watched as the man sat back in his chair and he remembered an earlier conversation. Cath wasn't dead. The ghost hadn't killed her. He looked from Grover to Danny, both of whom were watching him like he had two heads. Maybe he did… his hurt too much for just one head.

His eyes slid closed as he mumbled, "Head hurts…" hoping to explain his panic. He heard murmured voices and the sound of chairs grating across the floor before a hand touched his forehead.

"Commander? I know your head hurts. How do you feel other than that?"

He opened his eyes once again and stared at her. "Like shit," he finally decided.

Steve heard Grover's deep rumble and Danny's bark of laughter.

"I bet you do," Liz replied. "You just had surgery this morning, so 'like shit' is a pretty good answer. But I promise I'll help you feel better in just a minute."

Steve finally managed to think past the hammering in his head. The last time he had seen Danny was when he left for the airport. He tried to look around the nurse. "Danny? The airport. Did you get him?"

"What? Oh, no… Steve, Mendez wasn't at the airport. He paid you a visit here."

"Huh?" Steve looked at his friends and then remembered Grover's voice pleading to 'let him in'. More blood. A knife. Steve tried to remember and shook his aching head to clear it. "Dreamed I killed him…"

"Well," Danny replied. "That part wasn't a dream. You did kill him."

"Huh?"

Grover smiled. "Is that all you can say?"

"I… what? That was… was that real?"

"Oh, yeah, that was real," Lou confirmed. "That little stunt managed to shave about ten years off my life."

"I killed him?"

"You killed him," Danny said with a nod.

Steve's eyes slid shut. "No wonder I'm tired…"

_**~~~H50~~~**_

"Hey, Steve, feel up to company?" Chin asked through the partially open door.

"Chin, yeah, come on in."

Steve was sitting up playing with the food on his dinner tray. His condition had been down-graded to "stable" that morning and he had been transferred to the Transitional Care Unit, still under Lizzy's watchful eyes, but not in a room with all the bells and whistles.

He had woken that morning and felt like a different person. And his lab work had confirmed that there were only traces of the digitalis left in his system, so he _**was**_ different. Finally.

Chin entered and held the door open. "I brought a friend," he told Steve, watching Steve's face when he saw the SEAL commander.

"Chuck! What are you doing here?" Steve couldn't hold in his surprised smile.

Chuck Darcy crossed to the bed and shook Steve's outstretched hand. "Dog, I had to see it for myself. I got a call from Chin saying that you had managed to take down Mendez all on your own. The Navy sent me in for confirmation."

Chin handed Steve his phone along with the charger. "I sort of borrowed this," he said with a grin. "Thought you might want it back."

"Yeah, I wondered where it disappeared to. I figured Lizzy was hiding it from me." Steve pushed aside his tray of uneaten food and leaned back. "Good to see you, Commander."

"Likewise," Darcy replied. "From what I hear, you've had a pretty rough week."

"Yeah, from what they tell me. I really don't remember a lot of it. And… what I do remember is jumbled up with crazy hallucinations, so I'm not sure what all is real."

"Well, what _**is**_ real is that you got him before he got you."

"I barely got him," Steve murmured.

"Let's keep it in the win column," Chuck replied. "Hey, Chin has graciously offered to take me back to base, so I need to get moving and catch my flight. But I couldn't come all this way and not see you. Take care of yourself."

"Will do. And Chuck… thanks."

"Anytime, my friend."

"By the way," Chin said. "CSU picked up a partial print on your neighbor's electrical box that matched Mendez. Apparently he took out their security system along with yours the night he visited your house. So, for the record, you were right… he was in the house."

Steve nodded and then grinned. "I knew it all along."

Chin smiled back. "I know you did." He opened the door to leave, but held it open. "What do we have here?"

Grover came in carrying two sacks of food. "Kamekona met me downstairs and gave me all this. Said hospitals still give him the 'willies', but wanted you to have some good food."

"Hand it over," Steve demanded.

"Looks like we need to get out of the way, Commander," Chin told Darcy.

"Good to see you, Chuck. Come back for a visit sometime," Steve called from the bed.

"I'll do that," the man promised, following Chin out the door.

"What's in there, Lou? I swear, I'm really hungry. This stuff in the hospital is—"

"—is what?" Lizzy asked, walking into the room. She smiled sweetly and reached for the food. "I need to check out that bag to make sure it is food you can eat."

"Oh, no… you can't take it back after I've smelled it," Steve told her, a puppy dog look in his eyes. "Please?"

Liz laughed at the pathetic sight before her and handed the bag back. "Captain Grover came by the desk. You have my blessing. Just don't overdo it."

Grover began setting out the containers. "Liz, he made up four plates… you need to take one, too."

"Oh, that's—"

"Take it," Steve told her. "Please."

"Well, I do love Kamekona's shrimp," she said.

"Here." Grover handed her the container. "Enjoy. I'll save one for Danny. He's coming by after he picks up his daughter from cheerleading and takes her to her mother's house."

"Thanks for dinner. Let me know if you need anything."

Steve had already reached for a fork and had swallowed the first bite.

"Hey, you." Liz smacked his leg to get his attention. "Don't overdo," she warned before walking out the door.

Steve nodded. He knew his stomach wasn't up to par, but the rice sure was good.

"You sure look better," Grover said, then savored his first bite of dinner.

"I feel better. Almost normal again," Steve admitted while shoveling in another bite.

"That's good, because you sure scared the shit out of me the other day." Lou shook his head. "Damn, Steve, first I thought he had killed you, but when Liz said you had killed him, I didn't understand what was going on. You wouldn't let me in the room and I could tell by her voice she was ready to lose it… and then I heard a thud. When she finally got the door open, I thought again that you were dead."

"From what she said, I probably should have been," Steve agreed and pushed aside his food.

"You OK?"

"Yeah," Steve said and leaned back on the pillows. "Wasn't as hungry as I thought."

"Want me to get Liz?"

"Nah, I'm OK. Just don't want more food." He lay there for a few moments before asking, "Lou?"

"Yeah, what'cha need?"

"Nothing… when did I have the last hallucination? I kept dreaming the same things over and over."

"Well, let's see. That last day before Mendez showed up, you were pretty out of it. I'm sure that's where you dreamed. Why?"

"Do you think they are over?"

"The hallucinations? Yeah… they were from the drug overdose."

"But… we thought they were from… you know… PTSD," Steve said quietly. "What if they were?"

"Well, the drugs are pretty much out of your system and you haven't had any further hallucinations. My guess is that they are over." Lou set down his food and looked at his friend. "You know, even though PTSD didn't cause them, that doesn't mean you can't go to those meetings."

"Yeah, I know," Steve said. "There are some pretty good guys there."

"I agree," Grover said. "I really liked the leader." He shook his head, remembering his own battle with his demons. "I wish I'd had something like that back in Chicago."

"You know, you can come, too."

"Yeah, I know," Lou said and nodded. "Thanks for making me feel welcome. I could see that those younger guys really listened when you said something. You are good for them."

Steve shook his head. "I don't know about that—"

"Well, I do. They respected you."

"Gee, Lou, you make me sound like I'm ancient."

"Not ancient. Just someone who has been where they are. You have done stuff and seen stuff and have lived to tell about it. Let them know there is hope."

"Yeah, there is that," Steve agreed. "Hope is always good."

_**Epilogue… Three Months Later**_

"Hey, uh, excuse me, Commander?"

Steve walked down the steps onto the sidewalk and turned to see the young man who had called to him. "Yes, Mike, wasn't it?" Steve asked and held out his hand.

"Yes, Sir. I just wanted to say thank you for sharing today. It really hit home."

"This was your first meeting?"

"Yes, Sir. My fiancée urged me to come and I finally decided I needed to do so. We're getting married soon and I want to deal with some of my demons before that time."

"Smart move," Steve agreed. He glanced up to see a young girl walking toward them, a huge smile on her face.

"Hey, here she is now," Mike said.

"Lizzy?" Steve reached out and hugged the nurse when she reached them.

"Commander! It's so good to see you."

"You, too," Steve told her, then looked back at Mike.

"Mike, this is Commander McGarrett," she told her fiance. "The one I told you about. He's the one who gave me the information for this meeting."

Mike held out his hand. "Thank you, Sir. I didn't realize you were the one Lizzy had told me about. Thank you for caring enough."

"Any time," Steve assured them. "Hey, do you have plans? Let me take you to lunch."

"Oh, no," Liz said. "We couldn't."

"Why not? I know you like Kamekona's food. Let's go there. Come on, my treat. After all, I owe you my life."

"Are you sure?" Mike asked.

"Of course. But Mike, I've got a question for you. Are you really sure your fiancée is old enough to get married? I mean, she still looks twelve to me…"

"Yeah, she told me about that conversation, too," Mike replied with a laugh. "You're lucky you made it out of the hospital in one piece…"


End file.
